This book gives an overall picture of the principles of Belgian labour law, i.e. employment law as well as industrial relations law. The authors not only describe and analyse the legal aspects of labour relations, but also indicate developing trends in Belgium.

This introduction, now in its second completely revised and upgraded edition, is the ideal overview of Belgian law for foreign lawyers. It identifies the basic legal sources, institutions and concepts of Belgian law. It offers an up to date, state of the art systematic and critical rendition of the principal branches of the law as practised, and it provides the necessary historical background and theoretical framing. The book consists of sixteen chapters, covering all major fields of Belgian law including constitutional and administrative law, procedural law, criminal law, family law and trusts and estates, property, contracts and torts, commercial transactions and company law, labour and social security law, tax law and conflicts of laws, and offering in depth studies of the general features of the Belgian legal system and legal culture. Every contribution is written by a generally recognized expert in this particular field of law. The authors cover the legislation at the different levels, guiding the reader through the multi-layered governance in the complicated federal structure of Belgium within the European Union, and pay ample attention to the reality of legal practice in court cases. Each chapter concludes with a very useful bibliography of works in both official languages (French and Dutch). Where available, basic works in English are listed. The book is written for a diversified, primarily non-Belgian readership including practising lawyers, business people, government officials, academic researchers and students interested in a reliable overview of Belgian law and institutions as a starting point for their research or inquiries. Marc Kruithof is a law professor at Ghent University. He holds a PhD in Law, as well as Licentiates in Law and in Economics, from Ghent University, and a Master of Laws from Yale Law School. Walter De Bondt is an emeritus professor at Ghent University and at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB). He holds a PhD in Law as well as a Licentiate in Law from Ghent University, and a Master of Laws from UC Berkeley.

Derived from the renowned multi-volume International Encyclopaedia of Laws, this monograph on Belgium not only describes and analyses the legal aspects of labour relations, but also examines labour relations practices and developing trends. It provides a survey of the subject that is both usefully brief and sufficiently detailed to answer most questions likely to arise in any pertinent legal setting. Both individual and collective labour relations are covered in ample detail, with attention to such underlying and pervasive factors as employment contracts, suspension of the contracts, dismissal laws and covenant of non-competition, as well as international private law. The author describes all important details of the law governing hours and wages, benefits, intellectual property implications, trade union activity, employers’ associations, workers’ participation, collective bargaining, industrial disputes, and much more. Building on a clear overview of labour law and labour relations, the book offers practical guidance on which sound preliminary decisions may be based. It will find a ready readership among lawyers representing parties with interests in Belgium, and academics and researchers will appreciate its value in the study of comparative trends in laws affecting labour and labour relations.

Belgian employment law is a rather complex and atypical matter. Unlike the majority of the other European countries, Belgium distinguishes between blue-collar and white-collar workers. Furthermore, it is easier to fire an employee in Belgium than in most EU Member States. An employer does not need any form of external approval. This book gives an overall picture of Belgian employment law.

This book gives an overall picture of the industrial relations in Belgium.

The Business Law Guide to Belgium is essential reading for all companies doing business in Belgium, as well as for their legal advisers. This book is a time- and money-saving companion that deals with the legal aspects of most commercial scenarios from a practical point of view. Topics covered in the book include company law, mergers and acquisitions, accounting law, taxation and tax law, customs and excise law, financial law, employment law, residence and work permits, distribution law, E-commerce rules, intellectual property law, antitrust law, unfair trade practices, property law, environmental law, state aid rules, product liability law, data-protection rules, judicial composition and bankruptcy, and litigation and arbitration. Written by a team of Belgian lawyers at Van Bael and Bellis, this book reflects their day to-day experience with respect to the complex legal issues that arise under Belgian business law. This book is the only comprehensive treatise of Belgian business law available in English. Established in 1986, Van Bael and Bellis is one of the few independent international law firms based in Brussels. It advises companies from around the world on international trade law, antitrust law and Belgian business law, including corporate transactions and litigation.

Business has become more international and as a consequence Belgian business contracts are increasingly being concluded in English. This reference book brings together a number of contracts that are governed by Belgian law but drafted in English. Each model is preceded by a short introduction summarizing the most salient provisions of Belgian law relevant to that particular contract. Also, in most models, different options and alternative wording are included. The templates in this book will serve as a useful guidance for drafting a number of contracts and clauses under Belgian business law.

Law and Employment analyzes the effects of regulation and deregulation on Latin American labor markets and presents empirically grounded studies of the costs of regulation. Numerous labor regulations that were introduced or reformed in Latin America in the past thirty years have had important economic consequences. Nobel Prize-winning economist James J. Heckman and Carmen Pagés document the behavior of firms attempting to stay in business and be competitive while facing the high costs of complying with these labor laws. They challenge the prevailing view that labor market regulations affect only the distribution of labor incomes and have little or no impact on efficiency or the performance of labor markets. Using new micro-evidence, this volume shows that labor regulations reduce labor market turnover rates and flexibility, promote inequality, and discriminate against marginal workers. Along with in-depth studies of Colombia, Peru, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, Jamaica, and Trinidad, Law and Employment provides comparative analysis of Latin American economies against a range of European countries and the United States. The book breaks new ground by quantifying not only the cost of regulation in Latin America, the Caribbean, and in the OECD, but also the broader impact of this regulation.