Seasonal workers to get minimum wage

Seasonal workers will be able to claim the minimum wage in Belgium from July. They will also be able to work 100 days a year instead of 65.

"Seasonal workers, often employed in agriculture, can still be paid less than the interprofessional minimum wage. The social agreement we are approving and financing today puts an end to this discrimination," said Labour minister Pierre-Yves Dermagne (PS, French-speaking Socialists).

With this decision, the government is implementing the social agreement reached within the sector. It will compensate part of the wage increase through fiscal and parafiscal means. The measure will be reviewed in the following budget review.

The number of days of seasonal work will also be permanently increased from 65 to 100, a measure also applied during the Covid-19 crisis.

^{Seasonal workers picking tomatoes in Putte © BELGA PHOTO DIRK WAEM}