The corona premium is paid in the form of consumer vouchers, which you receive digitally or on paper. The federal government created these checks last year to give companies severely affected by corona a boost.
Since 1 August you can not only spend the checks in the catering industry and smaller shops, but in just about all shops. Think of supermarkets, wellness centers, cinemas, culture centers, hairdressers, beauty salons, bowling halls, swimming pools and fitness centers. Merchants are not obliged to accept the cheques. You can also only spend the checks in a physical store, not in a webshop. The checks are valid until December 31, 2022.
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The negotiations are not going smoothly. The struggles in the chemical sector prove this, but trade unions and employers elsewhere are also finding it difficult to reach an agreement. This is the case, for example, in the service voucher sector. ‘If there is a group that deserves a corona premium, it is the cleaning helpers. They continued to work during corona, often in unsafe conditions,” says Kris Vanautgaerden of the ACV trade union. ‘Yet there is still no agreement in the sector.’
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The fact that many service voucher companies make little profit or even loss plays a major role. ‘Even the better-performing companies have a hard time freeing up budget’, says Vanautgaerden. ‘The government did not realize that the sector needed extra money to reward the cleaners.’
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Another difficulty is that every sector includes companies that survived or grew during the crisis, as well as companies that have been hit hard. “That is why it is better to determine at company level whether a company pays a corona premium,” says Laenens of Essenscia. Other business federations feel the same way.
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But the unions want sectoral agreements, because they fear that staff of small companies would otherwise be left out. There are no unions present that can enforce the premium, it sounds. The unions say they want to make agreements at sector level to spare companies in difficulty.
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Paper and cardboard
Despite the struggles, a breakthrough is imminent in a number of sectors, such as those of paper and cardboard producers, the metal industry and the food sector. The trade unions and employers have an agreement. Only their supporters have yet to speak out.
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The employees of the profitable Belgian paper and cardboard producers receive a corona premium of at least 200 euros. For food companies that do not make a loss, it is at least 150 euros. At company level, employers and unions can increase the premium up to the maximum of 500 euros.
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Fevia, the federation of food companies, does not want to respond yet, but the unions do. The conversations were difficult, says Bart Vannetelbosch (ACV). “Workers’ expectations were high as they continued to work in an essential sector throughout the crisis and receive only limited pay increases.”
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Criticism of government
The government left a lot of room for trade unions and employers. ‘The measure was intended for companies that did well during corona. But what is good?’, says Patrick Vandenberghe, the chairman of ACV construction, industry and energy. Is an increase in turnover during corona the criterion? The profit increase? Or is it enough for a company to make a profit?’
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The trade unions are complaining about the way in which the government has launched the corona premium. ‘It is a poisoned gift,’ says Vanautgaerden. ‘In government communications and in the media, it seemed as if anyone who received a bounty would immediately receive 500 euros. Some employees who expect a premium will not get one anyway. But in the meantime, employees are asking us where their 500 euros is. That makes the negotiations even more complex.’
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For now only decided 1 company in 150 to pay its staff a corona premium. As more sectors complete wage negotiations in the coming months, it will become clear whether that number will become substantial.
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