Blue-collar worker notice period in Belgium
Before 2014, Belgian blue-collar workers had very short notice periods (sometimes 7 days), while white-collar employees had complex rules based on salary. Since the Single Status came into force on 1 January 2014, blue- and white-collar workers are subject to the same notice grid.
1. The Single Status — end of the distinction
The law of 26 December 2013 establishing the Single Status has aligned blue-collar workers' notice durations with those of white-collar employees, creating a unified grid applicable to all contracts entered into since 1 January 2014.
This reform was imposed by a Constitutional Court ruling (July 2011) that deemed the distinction discriminatory.
2. Post-2014 contracts
For a blue-collar worker with a contract entered into after 1 January 2014, the notice duration is strictly identical to that of a white-collar employee: 1 week below 3 months, then progression in tiers up to 64 weeks above 41 years of seniority.
3. Pre-2014 contracts — the ratchet mechanism
For a blue-collar worker hired before 1 January 2014, the notice consists of two parts that are added together:
(a) a portion frozen as of 31 December 2013 under the old rules specific to blue-collar workers (often 28 or 35 days depending on the sectoral convention);
(b) a new portion accrued from 1 January 2014 onwards, computed under the post-2014 grid, as if seniority had restarted from zero on that date.
4. Joint committees and sectoral conventions
Some joint committees (CP 100, CP 124 construction, CP 222 paper manufacturing, etc.) may provide longer notice periods than the statutory minimum for their blue-collar workers. These more favorable provisions continue to apply if they are stipulated in the sectoral collective bargaining agreement.
5. Specific abolished indemnities
The €1,250 flat-rate dismissal indemnity, which existed until 2013 to compensate the abrupt termination of a blue-collar worker, has been progressively abolished. The special dismissal allowance managed by ONEM has also been repealed.
If you are a blue-collar worker under an old contract and are unsure of your situation, the Paycore calculator automatically accounts for the ratchet mechanism.