Belgium: social partners secure a draft cross-industry agreement for the period 2017-2018

On the evening of 11/12 January Belgium’s social partners secured agreement over a draft cross-industry agreement (AIP) that sets a 1.1% wage margin for the next two years. Further negotiations are expected over digitalisation, but-out and youth employment.
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The wage margin, the maximum salary increase allowed for private companies has been set at +1.1% for the next two years. The Central Economic Council had been setting the margin between 0.9% and 1.2%. Ahead of these negotiations, the Council presents a report outlining the maximum margins available for changing wage costs, which is based on past and forecast wage changes in three neighboring countries (France, Germany, and the Netherlands) and which aims to promote Belgian business competitiven

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