Unizo unhappy with new business deal: ‘Changes are beyond our understanding’ | Economie

For example, the agreement states that employees with changing schedules cannot be notified at the last minute of any change in their working hours. According to Unizo, it is “incomprehensible” that this action was taken “without any form of consultation”.

Suddenly the deadline for reporting deviations was raised to three or even seven days. This has a significant impact on the necessary flexibility and organization of work,” van Asch criticizes. While the current deadlines have been set in mutual consultation between the relevant sectoral social partners, on the basis of the necessary field knowledge. The government is now manipulating this and putting the sectoral social partners in Checkmate is unprecedented and unacceptable.”

Another measure that Unizo criticizes is the fact that platform workers are insured against work accidents at the expense of the platform, as well as when it comes to self-employed workers. The EO speaks of a “vague and impractical entanglement” and an “attack on the social status of the self-employed”.

Van Asche criticizes: “We find it particularly incomprehensible that the national government did not wait here for Europe, where it is currently working on a blueprint for the platform economy.” “In addition, the detailed scheme will lead to more conflicts and will create explicit discrimination among the self-employed. It completely undermines the equality of social laws as an employee or self-employed.”

Self-employment organization NSZ is not a fan either. There appears to be a lack of “critical action, such as cutting wage costs.” “The government is manipulating margins. The activation rate of 80 percent is nowhere near that.”

Loaded sectors, such as cleaning and catering, must report deviations from shifting part-time schedules faster (seven days in advance instead of five now; ed.) “This arrangement will have a significant impact on the workplace and will make working in those sectors more complex rather than more flexible,” NSZ said.

Finally, NSZ is relieved that the government is doing something about competition in e-commerce, but they don’t want a 24-hour economy. Evening work remains problematic and the opportunity to experiment is a positive initiative. We hope that this will be closely followed and that the government will find a better balance in the short term.”

Read also: The basic cabinet has an agreement on the work deal: four days a week, the right to dismissal and evening work more smoothly