A draft sector agreement for JC 124 (construction company)

On 18 June 2019, the social partners of this joint committee concluded their 2019-2020 sector agreement. This agreement respects the maximum negotiating envelope of 1.1% in 2019 and 2020 in accordance with the RD of 19 April 2019 implementing article 7 § 1 of the Act of 26 July 1996 on the promotion of employment and the preventive safeguarding of competitiveness.

Below, you will find a brief overview of the main subjects of the sector agreement. A detailed analysis will be included in our sector information.

Provisions with an impact on wages

Purchasing power

On 1 July 2019, the gross wages will be raised as follows:

Cat. I	Cat. IA	Cat. II	Cat. IIA	Cat. III	Cat. IV
+ 0.158	+ 0,166	+ 0,168	+ 0,177	+ 0,179	+ 0,190

 

Mobility

Mobility allowance

Increase of the mobility allowance with 20 %. To this end, an agreement must be reached with the competent minister to increase the exempted amount so that the allowance for drivers can also be increased.

Drivers who, at the employer's request, travel to the workplace in a vehicle of the employer because collective transport is not possible, will receive a mobility allowance equal to the passenger allowance increased by 5 %.

Manual workers who, on an annual basis, receive a mobility allowance of 43,000 km or more, are entitled to a mobility day at the expense of the employer.

The mobility allowance is extended to young people in the dual learning system.

Bicycle allowance

The bicycle allowance will be increased to € 0.24/km.

Intake youth paths

IQU classification
Min. Cat. IA	After training
Cat. II	After 6 months
Cat. IIA	After 24 months

Revaluation of sector premiums for alternance training

• EUR 200 + EUR 200 after 1 year of training
• EUR 300 + EUR 200 after 2 years of training
• EUR 500 + EUR 200 when entering the sector via a ‘Bouwingroeibaan’
• EUR 500 + EUR 200 after a positive evaluation of the BIB

Working time and work organisation

RD 213

On the basis of the Royal Decree 213, the limits of the working time can be exceeded by 180 hours/calendar year during the summer period or a period of intense activity and this up to a maximum of 1 hour/day.

As desired by the worker before the end of the payment period in which these hours were worked, days of time off in lieu can be granted or a wage supplement of 20% can be paid for each additional hour.

What’s new?

• Days of time off in lieu are granted by mutual agreement within 6 months following the period in which these limits were exceeded. This period is now extended to 12 months.
• The working time limits can be exceeded in proportion to a maximum of 1.5 hours/day (instead of 1 hour) with a maximum of 7.5 additional/week.

Building materials trade

Traders in building materials can employ personnel on Saturdays for deliveries to private customers, provided that the current conditions and procedure for Saturday work in the building materials trade are observed.

Seniority days

Granted seniority day	Required seniority
1st seniority day	15 years of seniority in the company
2nd day of seniority	25 years of seniority in the company

Outplacement

The sectoral outplacement intervention is extended to outplacement offered to workers of whom the employment contracts have been terminated for reasons of medical force majeure.

Regulation on communication at the workplace

Together with the construction management and per contractor one person is assigned on the workplace who speaks one of the three national languages or English.

Safety fund for foreigners

All companies must pay the sectoral contribution to finance the sectoral safety and welfare initiatives. As a consequence, this contribution is also collected from foreign companies posting workers to Belgium. Especially as there are additional safety risks on the sites with posted workers.

Subsistence security

Extension

Extension of existing schemes until 31 December 2020, with the exception of:

• supplementary unemployment benefit schemes: extension until 30 September 2021;
• special supplementary frost benefit schemes: extension until 30 September 2021;
• extension of the RCC/SWT schemes until 30 June 2021.

Adjustment of additional RCC/SWT benefit

The fixed amount of the additional RCC/SWT benefit is adjusted in accordance with CLA no. 17.

Adjustment other amounts

• One-off compensation for occupational accident + 66% of incapacity: EUR 750 (victim), EUR 600 (supplement per child);
• Compensation for fatal occupational accidents: 6.EUR 000 (beneficiary), EUR 920 (supplement per child), EUR 920 (annual orphan's allowance);
• Social benefit: EUR 0,66/day, with a maximum of EUR 145/year

Promotion fee

The Subsistence Security Fund grants a promotion fee corresponding to a contribution in the repayment of a mortgage loan taken out by a manual worker in the sector and relating to the latter's main residence.

Entitlement to the promotion fee shall not arise until at least 1 year after the execution of the loan deed with the notary. In addition, in order to open his right, the manual worker concerned must also meet a number of conditions, in the quarter in which the anniversary date of the execution of the deed with the notary is situated. In the past, for example, the employer had to have received at least 5 ‘beneficiary’ identification cards. This number is now reduced to 3.

Scheme of unemployment with corporate allowance (RCC/SWT)

In implementation of the CNT/NAR CLAs, the RCC/SWT sectoral regulations are extended until 30 June 2021.

End-of-career jobs

Employees with a long career or an arduous profession are entitled to:

• a 1/5 end-of career job with benefits as from the age of 55;
• a half-time end-of career job with benefits as from the age of 57.

The current possibility of a 1/5 career reduction not only on a weekly basis, will be retained, but this system will also be extended to the half-time system (up to a maximum of six months for the half-time workers and to be pleaded with the ONEm/RVA).

Trainings

Tutor paths

Strengthening and, if possible, unifying ot the tutor paths:

• Introduction of ‘Meester Mentor" scheme. In the case of in-company training, a sectoral intervention is provided for the company for the costs associated with the role of ‘Meester Mentor’ of EUR 1,000/trainer;
• sectoral contribution to the labour cost of EUR 15/hour increased to a maximum of 180 hours/worker/training year in the case of in-company training.

Driver training courses in professional competence (code 95)

The employer pays the training costs, travel costs, examination costs and administrative costs of the training and additional training.

Growth path

Growth path of 5 % to achieve the objective of an average of 5 training days per year and per full-time equivalent at sector level.

Duration

This draft agreement is valid from 1 January 2019 until 31 December 2020, unless otherwise specified.

More information

This sector agreement will only become final after publication on the website of the FPS Employment, Labour and Social Dialogue. We will keep you informed.

 

Source: Draft sector agreement 2019-2020: Joint Committee for the construction company