Belgium: government launches consultation to inform bill regulating platform work

On Wednesday 7 July, the Belgian government announced that it is to launch a forum for consultation on how platform work should be regulated. So far the country’s government has taken a back seat on the topic (see article n° 12583), but according to Pierre-Yves Dermagne and David Clarinval – respectively labour and economy minister and minister for the self-employed – “the time has come for dialogue”. The consultation will be conducted via an online forum, where platform workers as well as users, partner traders and the platforms themselves will be invited to submit their contributions. The aim is to “offer better social protection” and improve the working conditions of these self-employed people, of which there are currently between 10,000 and 80,000, according to government figures. The two ministers say in their joint statement that the initiative will lead to the drafting of a legislative bill in 2022. Although the government mentions the possibility of adapting the law, the platforms intend for the self-employed status of their workers to be maintained.