Belgium: measures introduced to preserve jobs in the event of no-deal Brexit

On 20 February, Belgium’s Chamber of Representatives approved a bill containing temporary measures that seek primarily to avoid or limit the loss of jobs in the event of the UK exiting the European Union without a deal. The measures are inspired by those that were taken in 2009, following the financial crisis. To benefit from these measures and to be recognised as a struggling company, an employer will have to demonstrate a decrease in turnover, production or orders of at least 5%. Qualifying companies would be able to reduce working time on an individual basis by a fifth or by half (for a maximum of six months), reduce working time by one quarter or one fifth on a collective basis, or completely suspend the labour input of workers (for a maximum of 8 weeks or 13 weeks in the case of reduced hours). Some 42,000 jobs would be threatened by a no-deal Brexit.