De Jonge: "Good that decisions have been made in the wage consultation"Posted at 16:23h in consumers, Economy, finance by Ilse De NutteThis tomorrow the government has reached an agreement on the maximum wage increases for the next two years.

"It is a good thing that the Wage Act of 1996 remains in place to safeguard our competitiveness. The coronavirus creates a lot of economic uncertainty and it was important to show leadership, to make decisions so that employees and companies know where they stand", says Mp Tania De Jonge (Open Vld)." The agreement within the government contains three guidelines that are very important to us", explains De Jonge:First: that the wage standard is not affected. If we want to get back up quickly from the uppercut that corona has given our economy, then we must ensure that we can continue to compete with the neighbouring countries. Secondly, that – within that framework – the employees of companies that have done well can be rewarded for this. This is a premium of up to 500 euros per employee, to be negotiated within the company. Thirdly, that the social partners are being asked to continue working on several important issues, including the increase in the minimum wage, the harmonisation of supplementary pensions for workers and servants, overtime, the end of their careers, etc.' You're making important decisions. Now the agreement must be worked out within the government and by the social partners", says De Jonge. She points out that it is important that it is within the company that a premium will be decided. "Even in SMEs, business leaders want no more than for the staff to be rewarded for good results. Unfortunately, in these times it is about a small minority of companies. It is at the company level that it is best to judge what is possible", says De Jonge.This is an important agreement for both employees and companies. "Also because it protects our competitiveness, so that we can recover quickly after corona", concludes De Jonge.