Joint subcommittee 145.04 - Convert your eco vouchers? Time for action!

As an employer of joint subcommittee (JsC) 145.04 (horticulture businesses: planting and upkeep of parks and gardens), you grant eco vouchers to your employees (together with the fidelity bonus) every year in December. But maybe you prefer to reward your employees with a different benefit? This in possible within the JC 145.04!

Eco vouchers in JC 145.04

Full-time employees with a full reference period will be entitled to eco vouchers worth EUR 250.

This amount will be prorated for part-time employees or employees not having worked a full reference period (provided that they can prove that they have worked at least 30 actual days or can account for at least 30 equivalent days during the reference period).

The eco vouchers are calculated, ordered and coordinated by the Social Fund.

More details and an extensive analysis are available in the sectoral information on our website (sector document JC 145.04 - eco vouchers).

Conversion into another benefit

This joint committee provides for the possibility to convert eco vouchers in another benefit, the cost of which is the countervalue of EUR 250.

Which benefits?

In principle, different alternatives for the eco vouchers are possible, including:

• the introduction or improvement of an existing collective hospitalization insurance policy;
• the introduction or improvement of an existing supplementary pension scheme at company level;
• the introduction of meal vouchers or the increase of their facial value by e.g. EUR 1 per luncheon voucher. Comment: In our Legal Smart web shop, you will find a model document for this. Legal all-in customers can ask their legal officer to send them this sample document.

How?

The conversion is done by concluding a collective bargaining agreement. The negotiations can only relate to the conversion of eco vouchers.

You then inform the social fund of your decision before 15 October.

When no collective bargaining agreement is concluded and laid down within the company before 15 October, the sectoral provisions for eco vouchers will continue to apply. This implies that you will have to grant eco vouchers to your employees at the end of 2018 after all.

For guidance and advice on the conversion of eco vouchers, contact our Legal Partners, any time  (legalpartners@partena.be or call 02/549.30.20).

Source: Collective bargaining agreement of 15 June 2017: eco vouchers in companies, whose principal activity is the planting and upkeep of parks and gardens (registration number 140.658), effective as from 01.07.2017 for an indefinite period.

Author: Leen Lafourt

04/09/2018