Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2006, published 96th ILC session (2007)

Minimum Wage-Fixing Machinery Convention, 1928 (No. 26) - Belgium (Ratification: 1937)

Further to its previous comment, the Committee notes the Government’s statement that, for technical reasons, it is not possible to determine the precise number of workers remunerated at the monthly average guaranteed minimum wage level (RMMG), or at the lower rate fixed on account of the worker’s age. It notes, however, that efforts have been made in this respect and that they tend to confirm that the number of workers concerned would be insignificant since paid wages are generally higher than the minimum wage set out in collective agreements.

In addition, the Committee notes with interest the detailed information attached to the Government’s report. It notes, for instance, the study by Eurostat relating to wage differences amongst European countries and regions, which shows that, in terms of annual gross salaries, whether in euros or in standards of purchasing power (SPA), Belgium ranks among the top half EU Member States. It also notes another study prepared by Eurostat regarding minimum wages, which shows that, in January 2006, minimum wages in EU Member States varied from 82 to 1,503 euros per month and that, in six countries, including Belgium, the minimum wage was higher than 1,200 euros.

However, the Committee notes that, according to the synthesis report of the Ministry of Labour and Employment on the evolution of minimum wages since 1975, while the RMMG, as at 1 August 2005, stood at 1,234.20 euros for workers above 21 years of age, it was only 1,012.04 euros for those above 18 years of age and 863.94 euros for the workers of 16 years of age or more. In this connection, the Committee recalls its General Survey of 1992 on minimum wages in which it concluded that “the reasons that prompted the adoption of lower minimum wage rates for groups of workers on account of their age [...] should be regularly re-examined in the light of the principle of equal remuneration for work of equal value”. The Committee notes that the Government has not responded to its previous request for information on this point and therefore once again asks the Government to indicate whether a review of the lower RMMG rates for young workers is envisaged.

Finally, the Committee notes the study on minimum wages at the European level, which was published in August 2005 in the European Industrial Relations Review. According to this study, the minimum wage in Belgium was last revised in October 2004 and no wage increase was planned for 2005. The Committee requests the Government to provide information on the prospect of automatic minimum wage readjustment based on the evolution of the consumer price index.