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The European Commission decided in June to start legal proceedings against the Belgian government for non-transposition of a directive, revealed the Belgian Confederation of Christian trade unions (CSC) on 3 September.
The move is a response to a complaint made by the Belgian union to the Commission last April for failure to implement European Directive 2002/14/EC in law in time. This EU legislation requires firms with at least 20 or 50 employees to set up machinery for dialogue with their workers and keep them informed about their company’s economic situation. Belgium failed to bring its labour law into line within the three year deadline. Workers in firms with fewer than 100 employees still have no legal right to company or economic information, or to be consulted, in Belgium.
Official proceedings were lodged in the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg on 20 July. The Commission is hoping this will force the Belgian government to finally carry the directive over into law. If it still fails to do so, the Court could impose a daily default fine on Belgium.
Ironically, it was the closure of the Renault car manufacturing plant in Belgium that brought the Directive into being, to ensure no future company closures would be decided without workers' reps being consulted and informed.
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