Labour and Social Security Law

A company’s employees are often its main asset. For many people, their pay is their main source of income. So Labour and Social Security Law are important to nearly everyone. In Belgium, labour relations are very strictly regulated. Irregularities, even due to ignorance, can have grave consequences.

Labour Law is the branch of law which governs the relationship between employer and employee. An employee is someone who by contract commits him/herself, i.e. by means of an employment agreement, to work under the authority of the employer in exchange for a salary. Labour Law is divided into Individual and Collective Labour Law, and forms an integral part of Social Law.

Our experts provide assistance and advice on all possible matters and/or procedures of Labour Law, such as:

• individual labour relations (termination and dismissal, working hours, pay and remuneration schemes, parental leave, time credit, professional card and work permit, sales representation, student labour, etc.)
• collective labour relations (social dialogue, collective dismissal, multiple dismissal, (company) CLAs, setting up a work’s council and/or committee for prevention and protection at work, etc.)
• drafting of /advice on Labour Law documents (employment agreements, agreements for working with self-employed persons, non-competition clause, labour regulations, agreement to terminate the employment agreement by mutual consent, etc.)
• secondments, deployment
• false self-employment
• etc.

We also provide assistance and advice regarding all kinds of matters and/or proceedings of Social Law, such as, amongst others,

• welfare at work (bullying in the workplace, safety and hygiene, etc.)
• pensions
• industrial accidents and occupational diseases
• unfitness for work
• application of social security system (RSZ, RSVZ)
• unemployment regulations (RVA)
• etc.

We also provide assistance and advice for companies, employers and the self-employed in the context of (labour-law or social-law) inspections by the social inspection services, and provide assistance in proceedings and investigations relating to the implementation and enforcement of the Social Criminal Code, amongst others:

• breaches relating to social security
• failure to declare work (amongst others, Dimona, Limosa, etc.)
• social fraud
• breaches relating to working hours
• breaches relating to labour conditions
• breaches relating to social documents
• etc.