A draft sector agreement 2023-2024 for JC 111.03 (metal, mechanical and electrical manufacturing)

The social partners of joint committee 111.03 reached a draft agreement for the period 2023-2024. Reminder: the Royal Decree of 13 May 2023 sets the salary standard for the period 2023-2024 at 0%.

Below is a brief overview of the main topics of the sector agreement. As soon as we have the final agreement, a more detailed analysis will be made available in our sector documentation.

This draft agreement applies to employers and manual workers in companies that build bridges and metal frameworks covered by the joint committee for metal, mechanical and electrical manufacturing, with the exception of companies in the metal fabrication sector.

Provisions with an impact on remuneration

• Purchasing power bonus

A purchasing power bonus for all companies whose ROA (return on assets) in 2022 is equal to or greater than 3%. The minimum purchasing power bonus in these companies is € 200.

Companies that reach the minimum threshold and also achieve an operating profit (code 9901) in 2022 that meets the criteria set out below, must grant a higher purchasing power bonus:

 - €350: if code 9901 in 2022 is ≥ 15% higher than code 9901 over 2018-2021

- €500: if code 9901 in 2022 is ≥ 25% higher than code 9901 over 2018-2021

- €750: if code 9901 in 2022 is ≥ 50% higher than code 9901 over 2018-2021

This bonus is awarded at the end of 2023 to manual workers in service at the date of payment and with at least 1 month's service. Temporary manual workers are entitled to a purchasing power bonus under the same conditions as manual workers employed by the user.

This bonus is awarded on a pro rata basis for employment during the period between 1 October 2022 and 30 September 2023

The employer and its trade union delegation may agree not to apply the sectoral purchasing power bonus scheme set out in this draft sector agreement, and to provide instead for a company-specific purchasing power bonus, which will be the subject of a collective agreement concluded at company level by 30 October at the latest.

• Various sectoral bonuses are increased on 1/10/2023: separation bonus, holiday bonus, clothing allowance.
• Travel expenses for home to work travel 

From January 2024: introduction of a bicycle allowance of 0.27 EUR/km and increased contribution for public transport journeys.

Recommendation to companies to use the third party payment system.

End of career

Regimes extended to 30/6/2025:

- end-of-career jobs for long careers or arduous occupations from age 55 (scheme 4/5 and half-time scheme)

- (regime for an indefinite duration: end-of-career jobs without benefit from the age of 50 and 28 years of career, and half-time or full-time time credit with motive)

- 5% threshold relaxed: the threshold is determined by the number of manual workers employed (harmonized with JC 209)

 - extension of premium from the Flemish Region

Welfare

- Extension of indefinite duration provisions and indexation of full unemployment, temporary unemployment, sickness and childcare benefits. (increase from 01/07/2023).

- Phasing out of the intervention of the welfare fund for half-time end-of-career jobs from age 58. Existing regime to run until 31/12/2024.

- If the reduction in temporary unemployment benefits announced by the government comes into force, and employers are required to compensate for it, this compensation will be covered by the Welfare Fund.

RCC (= USCS: Unemployment scheme with a company supplement)

Existing regimes extended to 30/6/2025:

- Arduous occupations with 33 years of career

 - Arduous occupations with 35 years of career

- Long career of 40 years

 - Exemption from adapted availability at the employee's request from age 62 or after a 42-year working career until 31/12/2026 (if dismissed by 30/6/2025)

Training

- Increase in the individual transferable training entitlement from 24 hours to 32 hours from 2024, 36 hours from 2025 and 40 hours from 2026

- Maintaining the definition of formal and informal training

- Maintaining initiative and training obligation for both employee and employer

- Evaluation of the sectoral training framework in working groups

- Extension until 01/01/2025 of the existing provision on the tuition clause”: training courses financially supported by sectoral training funds are excluded from the application of the tuition clause.

Various

• Fund financing: an additional contribution of 0.06% will be levied from 1 July 2023. From 1 January 2024, an additional employer's contribution of 0.03% of the statutory contribution base will be collected by the Welfare Fund to finance union premiums.
• from 1 January 2024, granting of a 3rd day of career leave from age 60 onwards
• leave of absence: flexibility for blended families may be discussed, provided that family situations are clearly delineated (to be discussed when the coordinated text is drafted); customary farewell rituals are assimilated to one of the cults recognized in Belgium on the day of the funeral, provided that a choice is made between farewell rituals OR the day of the funeral
• Existing job security clause is set for an indefinite term
• End-of-year bonus: Assimilation of temporary unemployment from 01/10/2023 for the calculation of the end-of-year bonus. In the provinces of Antwerp, Limburg, East Flanders, West Flanders and Flemish Brabant, the sectoral CLA concerning the end-of-year bonus will be adapted to provide for the possibility of converting the end-of-year bonus into days off or using it for bicycle leasing under various conditions.
• Extension of risk group provisions
• Eco-vouchers: alternative allocation options extended
• Joint sectoral working group: premium for arduous work and travel and transition time

Additional information

As soon as this text has been translated into a sector CLA, you will be able to find an analysis in the sector information for this sector.

 

Source: Draft agreement 2023-2024 for the metal, mechanical and electrical engineering sector (111.03)