Belgian government mulls 4-day workweek

BRUSSELS

The Belgian government started negotiations on introducing a 4-day workweek, Belgian daily newspaper De Morgen reported on Thursday.

According to a proposal submitted by the liberals and supported by all other coalition parties, Belgium would reduce the full-time workweek from five days to four by keeping the same number of weekly hours.

In practical terms, people with the standard Belgian contract of weekly 38 hours would work 9,5 hours every day, but they would have an extra day off in return for the daily two-hours overwork.

“In general, we think it is a good initiative for the liberty of employment, but workers should be able to choose,” Meyrem Almaci, the president of the Greens in the Belgian federal parliament, told reporters.

Next weekend, the federal government will discuss in which sectors they would propose the 4-day workweek.

The socialist trade union has already criticized the proposal, calling for an overall reduction of working hours.