Managing age at companies in Belgium: The difficult construction of alternatives to early retirement
Vendramin, Patricia
Managing age at companies in Belgium: The difficult construction of alternatives to early retirement - 2018.
13
In Europe, Belgium ranks at the bottom of the class in terms of the participation of senior workers in the job market. After several decades of managing restructurings through “pre-pension” schemes, the country remains marked by a culture of early retirement. A new collective labour agreement, CCT 104, was introduced in 2013, requiring companies to introduce schemes for salaried employees aged 45 and over. Four years later, this article makes an initial review of the success of the agreement on the basis of a quantitative survey with employers and seven case studies of companies. The initial findings show that these schemes are devised as part of processes that are consensual but at the same time extremely formal, lacking in innovation and, above all, highly lacking as regards considerations of gender. Well-being in the workplace is a consideration, but limited to physical arduousness. The principal outcome is the reduction of working time. At the root of the agreement lies a collective of “senior workers” and the growing legitimacy of the expression of difficulties and expectations related to this age group. Also of note is the slow process of learning and awareness raising, despite a widespread sense of powerlessness on the part of the players involved.
Managing age at companies in Belgium: The difficult construction of alternatives to early retirement - 2018.
13
In Europe, Belgium ranks at the bottom of the class in terms of the participation of senior workers in the job market. After several decades of managing restructurings through “pre-pension” schemes, the country remains marked by a culture of early retirement. A new collective labour agreement, CCT 104, was introduced in 2013, requiring companies to introduce schemes for salaried employees aged 45 and over. Four years later, this article makes an initial review of the success of the agreement on the basis of a quantitative survey with employers and seven case studies of companies. The initial findings show that these schemes are devised as part of processes that are consensual but at the same time extremely formal, lacking in innovation and, above all, highly lacking as regards considerations of gender. Well-being in the workplace is a consideration, but limited to physical arduousness. The principal outcome is the reduction of working time. At the root of the agreement lies a collective of “senior workers” and the growing legitimacy of the expression of difficulties and expectations related to this age group. Also of note is the slow process of learning and awareness raising, despite a widespread sense of powerlessness on the part of the players involved.
Réseaux sociaux