Recent situation: This week social partners and government negotiate the end of career regulations. With the 3 trade unions we have a common point of view on the government’s proposals, but we differ in the timing of actions to put pressure on the government. On Friday 7/10/05 we’ll have a first general strike of 24h. If the results of the negotiations are not satisfactory, we will have another general strike of 24h on Monday 10/10/05.

Background: In Belgium one of the most frequently used instruments in case of restructuring is the early retirement scheme. We try to save a maximum of jobs, but when priorities have to be made, the older (50 years and older) people go out first. An early retirement benefit consists of 2 parts: an unemployment benefit (Social Security) and a supplement paid by the employer or -in case one exists- by a Social Fund. Apart from restructuring we also have a normal early retirement scheme, the standard age is 58 years (providing you have a professional career of 25 years). In the metal branch the age requirement of 58 years is lowered to 57, 56 and in some cases to 55 years by means of collective agreements, providing a professional career of 38 years. Once you enter in an early retirement scheme (until the legal pension age = 65 y.) one isn’t available anymore for the labour market. The labour bureau won’t present you a job. In Belgium we don’t have a human resources tradition for middle aged people. Once over 50 years (except for higher management) it’s almost impossible to find a new job.

In Belgium there is a big discussion between social partners and government going on about these ’end of carreer ’(people between 50 and 65 years old) problems as well as the financement of our Social Security system. The government wants to restructure (downsize) the actual end of carreer possibilities out of two concerns:
Belgium has one of the lowest activity rates of EU, especially in the age-group between 50 and 65 years;
Professional inactivity of this group weighs on the budget of our Social Security system;

Government has launched a few negotiable ideas to solve these problems :
in case of restructuring, early retirement can only be a final solution after an intensive and cooperative (!?) guidance of 6 months to a new job;
the early retirement standard age (58 y.) and/or the carreer conditions should be raised,
discourage departures before the legal pension age (65 y.) with a negative effect on the legal pensions;
persons in an early retirement scheme should stay available for the labour market;

Our critics
the government wants to conclude in a few weeks, before the state of the union of our prime Minister in the Parliament (11/10/05), this is too close for a real debate;
at this moment the new ideas about restructuring companies are not realistic, with an unemployment rate of 8,5% (of which an important part are youngsters < 25 y.), it’s impossible to re-employ middle aged people and certainly not with a 6 months guidance session;
the Belgian legal pensions are the lowest in the whole EU, cutting them down is unacceptable;
we want to keep our early retirement schemes, at least at 58 years after a reasonnable carreer.

Frans Biebaut on behalf of CMB, CCMB and ACLVB