CDH demands better deal for self-employed

18 February 2004

BRUSSELS – Belgium’s French-speaking Christian Democrat party (CDH) says self employed workers should receive the same social security cover as employees, La Derniere Heure newspaper reported on Wednesday.

CDH senator Rene Thissen, quoted in La Derniere Heure, said “one euro from the state for an employee should equal one euro from the state for a self-employed worker.”

At present this is not the case. Employees are entitled to significantly more generous state cover when it comes to health care and pensions than their self-employed counterparts.

The government recently pledged to reduce this social security gap as part of a wide-ranging plan to improve the lot of self-employed workers.

But is not currently proposing equal social security cover.

Thissen argued that as the self-employed now account for 18 percent of the Belgian workforce, they should receive 18 percent of the funds the state puts aside for social security payments.

The government is currently locked in acrimonious negotiations with organisations representing the self-employed over how its new measures for people working for themselves will be paid for.

Subject: Belgian news