Employment Law Belgium

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1 Employment Law Belgium 01 December 2016 JSB Group Limited 2016 WINNER 2014 Queen s Awards for Enterprise: International Trade

2 Table of contents Administration notes... 3 Terms and conditions... 4 Venue details... 5 Speaker biography... 6 Seminar programme... 7 Employment Law Belgium 2 JSB

3 Administration notes Purpose To gain an understanding of employment law in practice in Belgium and acquire the knowledge and confidence to deal effectively with cross country HR issues. Timings and registration Please report to reception on arrival. Registration will be open from 9:00am. Please aim to arrive at the venue by 9:15am at the latest to complete registration. The seminar will begin at 9:30am and finish at approximately 4:30pm. Preparation Please complete the online pre-course questionnaire and return to us as soon as possible before the seminar commences. Lunch and refreshments Refreshments will be provided throughout the day, along with a buffet lunch. A vegetarian lunch option will be available but please let us know if you have any other special dietary requirements on your pre-course questionnaire. Smoking policy It is illegal to smoke anywhere within the venue premises. Access requirements and special facilities Delegates with any special requirements should contact Jade Wysocki on before the seminar. Dress code The dress code for this programme is smart/ casual. Messages Please note that it will not be possible to interrupt the seminar to pass on messages, and we remind you that all mobile phones should be switched off during the seminar. Marketing/Photography From time to time we take photos at our events which we may use in subsequent course brochures [paper or digital]. If for any reason, you do not wish your image to appear, please let one of us know. Employment Law Belgium 3 JSB

4 Terms and conditions Payment Unless otherwise expressly agreed by JSB, payment either by cheque, BACS or credit card must be received within 14 days from the date of invoice, or five days before the event to which this invoice relates, whichever is earlier. Please make cheques payable to JSB Group Ltd. It is a condition of attendance that the event fee has been pre-paid. In the event of late payment we reserve our statutory right to interest at the rate of 8% above base under the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act Cancellations, transfers, substitutions and refunds The above requests must all be made in writing. Cancellations The following charges apply if you cancel: 29+ days before an event = 20% of the event fee days before an event = 50% of the event fee 1-14 days before an event = 100% of the event fee Transfers Transfers made 15+ days prior to an event will be charged at 20% of the event fee Transfers made 1-14 days prior to an event will be charged at 50% of the event fee The transfer option only applies to delegates who are transferring to a different date for the same event Delegates must specify their choice of transfer date at the time of transfer The option to transfer can only be used once, after which non-attendance will be treated as a cancellation and all outstanding invoices will be due The original event invoice must be paid in full prior to a transfer invoice being issued If you would like to make a substitution, please call us on and we will be happy to help you. Substitutions can be made at any time without incurring a penalty. Employment Law Belgium 4 JSB

5 Venue details Radisson Blu Edwardian Kenilworth Hotel 97 Great Russell Street London, WC1B 3BL Telephone: Fax: Website: By rail The hotel is easily accessible from all Central London mainline stations and taxis are available outside the stations. If you wish to travel to the hotel using the underground please visit this is the Transport for London website and is a valuable tool for planning your journey. Attached is a tube map that you may find useful along with a street map. By underground The nearest underground station is Tottenham Court Road (Northern and Central Line). The hotel is approximately a 5 minute walk from the station. Exit the station using Exit 1 (Oxford Street South Side), cross the road straight ahead and turn right to cross the road again onto Tottenham Court Road. Walk straight ahead (so the Dominion Theatre is behind you) and turn right onto Great Russell Street. Walk up the street past the restaurants etc and the hotel will be at the end of the road on the left hand side. By air The Heathrow Express runs direct to London Paddington in just 15 minutes (20 minutes from Terminal 5), with a train every quarter of an hour. The Gatwick Express runs a similar service into London Victoria. Light rail services (DLR) run regularly from London City Airport. By car We recommend using Google maps or a sat-nav to plan your individual journey, please use the postcode WC1B 3BL. The hotel does not have a car park attached to the building and roadside parking is not available nearby however there is an NCP car park on Great Russell Street (WC1B 3NQ). Accommodation If you would like to book accommodation at this hotel please use promotional code JSBTD to receive a discount on the best rate available online. Alternatively we suggest the following web links for locating suitable accommodation: Employment Law Belgium 5 JSB

6 Speaker biography Céline Wauters Céline obtained her Bachelor in Law at the University of Leuven (Katholieke Universiteit Leuven ) and her Master at the University of Brussels, with specialization in social law (Vrije Universiteit Brussel ). During her studies she was Editor in Chief and Member of the Board of the legal periodical Jura Falconis where she was responsible for the Finances and Organization of the Jura Falconis Prize. Céline is a qualified lawyer at the Brussels Bar. She is fluent in Dutch, French and English. She joined the Eversheds HRPG group in September She specializes in individual and collective employment law. Céline has particular experience in data privacy issues in the context of the employment relationship. She helps both Belgian and international companies with their complex employment issues. These involve, amongst others, restructurings, closure of companies, termination of employment contracts, drafting and reviewing of work regulations and policies, international employment matters, audits/due diligences for multinationals, drafting and negotiating Collective Bargaining Agreements. She also has broad experience in litigation regarding these matters on behalf of her clients before Belgian courts. Employment Law Belgium 6 JSB

7 Seminar programme 09:00 Registration and coffee 09:30 An overview of the employment law framework in Belgium An introduction to Belgian employment law: examining the legal system and the social framework The generation pact: what this means for employers 10:15 Getting started: recruiting staff and making employment contracts Getting to grips with key recruitment issues: non discrimination; asking personal questions; checking for criminal records; references Understanding the different types of employment contracts and related terms Key terms in employment contracts: language; duration; trial periods; non competition; notice periods Typical benefits 11:15 Coffee and networking 11:30 Collective bargaining and trade unions Appreciating the role of trade unions in Belgium and how this impacts HR Understanding the terms of collective bargaining agreements 12:00 Day to day employee management 12:30 Lunch Working time: key considerations Dealing with absence and performance Discipline and grievances Suspension of the employment contract: justified absences 13:30 Employee Representation Social elections and sanctions Employee representative rights Union delegation 14:15 Termination of employment Ways of terminating employment and general dismissal protection Information and consultation Notice periods Specific entitlements for older workers Employment tribunals and claims Employment Law Belgium 7 JSB

8 Seminar programme (continued) 15:00 Coffee and networking 15:15 Discrimination law How does the legislation in Belgium differ to the UK position Bullying and harassment 15:45 What s on the horizon? Future developments in labour law Concerns for employers 16:30 End of seminar Employment Law Belgium 8 JSB