Employer organizations Unizo and Agoria are asking the federal government to keep the support measures to help companies through the corona crisis even longer. They normally expire on September 30. The government has not yet taken the plunge.
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Unizo proposes to allow flexible temporary unemployment for another quarter longer due to the corona crisis and to retain the bridging right during that period for entrepreneurs who still suffer a loss of turnover of at least 40 percent.
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“Of course we agree with the end of the Covid support measures in the short term,” says managing director Danny Van Assche. “But not by hitting the brakes hard today and tomorrow, because that will lead to accidents.” That is why the organization advocates “a very last extension” of the support.
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Tourism
Van Assche points out that some activities, for example discotheques, can only start on 1 October. They still have to build up gradually, it says. “In the meantime, other activities can be organized normally, but are still suffering from reduced demand. I am thinking of many events, of tourism in art cities, of passenger transport, travel agents…”
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CEO Bart Steukens of technology federation Agoria also wants companies to be able to fall back on the current flexible scheme for temporary unemployment for longer. It is too late to come up with a new scheme now, he thinks.
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Government divided
The government is divided on whether or not to extend measures. The point had already been on the agenda of the core cabinet twice, but no decisions were made.
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“In the meantime, we are almost October 1 and companies still do not know what those new measures, and in particular regarding temporary unemployment, will be,” says the Agoria CEO. “A number of activities and companies are still badly affected by the consequences of the corona crisis. Give them further space to recover. And if new or modified arrangements will be provided, no problem. But let us ensure that they are known and enforceable in good time.”
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