Belgium: social partners conclude an agreement on the return to work for those on long-term illness leave as well as on economic unemployment

In the evening of 09 December, both unions and business leaders concluded an agreement over government proposals on both the return to work for those on long-term illness leave as well as on partial unemployment. Seen as far from what had initially been proposed the agreement may spark disagreement within the majority.
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Details of the agreement concluded on the evening of 09 December by the Group of 10 (a social consultation forum gathering employers bodies and unions) remain unknown, as the social partners prefer to officially present them to the government before rendering them public. The agreement treats two subjects that the government had put to the social partners to address.

In fact the government is looking to lower the costs of state financed compensation for occupational disability, which according t

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