Insights

Brussels – March 20, 2023: Chambers and Partners has ranked four Crowell & Moring practice groups and six individual lawyers in the Chambers Europe 2023 guide. The rankings are driven by independent interviews of clients and members of the legal community.

After months of negotiations, Belgium’s new federal government has reached an agreement introducing significant changes to labor law, employment flexibility, and social security. These reforms aim to boost employment rates, simplify regulations, and reduce labor costs for employers.  

Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) 32bis applies in Belgium in the event of a transfer of undertakings. It establishes the legal framework that protects employees’ rights during such a transfer.

On 23 October 2024, the European Parliament adopted Directive (EU) 2024/2831 (“the Directive”), aimed at improving conditions for individuals working for digital platforms.  The Directive introduces comprehensive measures to: address the employment status of digital platform workers, ensure transparency and fairness in algorithmic management, and strengthen the protection of personal data. The Directive came into force on 1 December 2024, and Member States are required to adopt the necessary measures for transposition into national law by 2 December 2026.

A cross-border lawsuit filed in Italy in 2024 could be the first test of how recently imposed, plaintiff-friendly changes in European Union law will impact class actions in the EU.

In collaboration with ACC EuropeThe EU Whistleblower Directive, which is intended to provide whistleblowers with greater protection, sets out a legal framework of minimum standards that have to be transposed by the EU member states into national legislation.

In collaboration with the IBJThe Belgian law of 18 May 2024 regulating private investigations marks a significant shift in the legal landscape for employers conducting internal investigations. This comprehensive reform replaces outdated legislation and introduces stricter compliance requirements, notably impacting data privacy and HR practices. Understanding these legal requirements is essential to avoid potential pitfalls and ensure that investigations are carried out in a lawful and efficient manner. 

In Collaboration with the IBJDuring this webinar we will dive into the European Directive on pay transparency that entered into force in June 2024 and has to be transposed for June 2026 in all EU Member States. This European Directive has the ambition to strengthen the application of the principle of equal pay for equal work or work of equal value between men and women, for all employees in all sectors. The Directive brings significant new reporting obligations and assessment obligations on employers that the EU Member States will publish. How will you have to calculate the threshold to know if your company as an employer falls under the scope of the Directive? And what happens when there is a gap in the equal pay? What will you have to do as an employer? What kind of enforcement does the Directive foresee? Lastly, did you know that in the US there is an Equal Pay Act that has been in force since 1963? How has that statute been applied in the US and what are the differences and similarities with the European Directive? Our special US guest will teach us some interesting US-insights.  

There have been many recent changes in Belgian labor and employment law - changes that are likely to significantly impact your daily HR practice.