Belgium: beginning of social cooperation with the aim of a new cross-industry agreement

Started on Monday, November 13th, 2006, negotiations aimed at concluding a new cross-industry agreement (AIP) will have to succeed before Christmas. Employers and trade unions will notably have to set a wage norm for 2007 and 2008. According to a report given to the negotiators, labor costs in Belgium are higher than those in bordering countries, an argument employers will use to advocate wage moderation. (Ref 061135)
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Every other year, Belgian social partners are invited to negotiate an agreement which sets a framework for wage evolutions in the coming years and determines a certain number of changes in social legislation. As regards the evolution of wages, the 1996 law on competitiveness lays down that the latter must be close to that in force in the bordering countries. This is why social partners use, during their negotiations, on an estimate of the evolution of wages in the next two years in the three co

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