Belgian unions and employers are out. Night work will soon be allowed in Belgian e-fulfilment. The Southern neighbours are thus trying to close the gap that currently exists between the Dutch and Belgian online sectors. The agreement will also create thousands of jobs.
Currently, many parcels ordered online by a Belgian are still delivered from a distribution centre in the Netherlands. Our country has different working conditions for night work, among other things. A change in legislation should make e-commerce in Belgium more self-sufficient, reports daily De Morgen.
Minister satisfied
Work minister Kris Peeters is happy with the breakthrough, he tells De Morgen: "My people have worked hard on this. Choosing the path of social consultation pays off. All social partners have signed this agreement. There is now a stable and sustainable solution for e-commerce. Very importantly, this agreement will create quite a few extra full-time jobs in trade and distribution in the short term. Those sectors, with the exception of independent retail, already employ 250,000 people."
Lagging behind the Netherlands
Jan Delfosse, director general of trade federation Comeos, looks back with satisfaction, he told De Morgen. "It is important that the legal obstacle to night work is gone. We are losing jobs to foreign countries every month. In addition, we still need to work on the wage gap. In logistics, this sometimes amounts to 20 per cent compared to the Netherlands," Delfosse explains.
Belgium's gap with the Netherlands cost the country an estimated €2.4 billion.
Editorial LogistiekProfs
