Coronavirus: publication of certain measures!

Two Royal Decrees have just been published in the Belgian Official Gazette.

Below is an overview of the support measures included in these texts.

Royal Decree No. 45

Royal Decree No. 45 provides among others in:

• the extension of the measure 'temporary employment in vital sectors' until 31 August 2020;
• the extension of the 'corona parental leave' measure up to and including 30 September 2020;
• the introduction of full-time 'corona parental leave' and an increase in the amount of the benefit for parents living alone and parents with a disabled child from 1 July 2020;
• the exclusion of the consumption voucher from the application of the wage standard Act.

Royal Decree No. 46

Royal Decree No. 46 provides among others in:

• the possibility, for companies recognised as a company undergoing restructuring or being in difficulty, to reduce working time temporarily and under certain conditions from 1 July 2020;
• the introduction of the 'corona time credit' (= a formula to reduce working hours to which a benefit is linked) for companies recognised as a company undergoing restructuring or being in difficulty, from 1 July 2020;
• the possibility for employees aged 55 and over and under certain conditions to take up a half-time or 1/5th end-of-career job in companies recognised as a company undergoing restructuring or being in difficulty, as from 1 July 2020;
• the terms of being recognised as a company undergoing restructuring or being in difficulty without the conclusion of a collective labour agreement in the context of unemployment with company supplement, as from 1 July 2020 and only for the application of the three above mentioned measures ;
• the introduction of a transitional arrangement to facilitate the transition from temporary unemployment due to force majeure resulting from Covid-19 to the existing systems of economic unemployment (manual workers/non-manual workers) from 1 September 2020.

In the coming days, we will provide you with more detailed information.

Sources: Royal Decree No. 45 of 26 June 2020 implementing Article 5, § 1, 5° of the Act of 27 March 2020 authorising the King to take measures in the fight against the spread of the coronavirus COVID-19 (II), extending certain measures, clarifying certain terms of the corona parental leave and of the consumption voucher, Belgian Official Gazette, 30 June 2020; Royal Decree No. 46 of 26 June 2020 implementing Article 5, § 1, 5° of the Act of 27 March 2020 authorising the King to take measures in the fight against the spread of the coronavirus COVID-19 (II) in support of employers and employees, Belgian Official Gazette, 1 July 2020.

werknemers, B.S., 1 juli 2020.