Article

62-70 Wet tot wijziging van de wet van 3 juli 1978 betreffende de arbeidsovereenkomsten met het oog op de beperking van de duur van opeenvolgende arbeidsovereenkomsten voor een bepaalde tijd en vervangingsovereenkomsten

Description

** Minimum notice period to employees **

Employers are required to notify their workforce 30 days in advance of implementing collective dismissals (that is, within 60 days, dismissals of at least 10 workers in companies with 20-99 employees, of at least 10% of the workforce in firms with 100-299 workers or at least 30 dismissals in companies with 300 or more staff). This period can be extended up to 60 days upon request from the trade union.

During the 30 day collective dismissal notification period, the employer is prohibited from dismissing the employees included in the collective dismissal notification. After and in addition to this period, the conventional notification periods apply to individual employees.

Individual notice of termination is valid only if it is in writing, specifying the commencement date and the duration of the period of notice. When the employer gives notice, the statement must be sent by registered mail or be communicated in writing by a process server.

• Fixed-term contracts can only be ended (since 2014) in the first half of the contract (up to six months) through a one-sided notification of either the employee or employer. In this case notification periods similar to the indefinite nature contract apply. It is not possible to alter the duration of the period at sectoral level; it is however possible to increase the period at individual or company level.

• The notice period for employees with less than 6 months of seniority is one week (since 2026), regardless of whether the employment contract is terminated by the employer or the employee.

** Maximum notice period to employees ** According to a draft law on the modernisation of the labour law in Belgium, for dismissal of contracts of indefinite duration, from 01 January 2026, the maximum notice period is 52 weeks (expected implementation date). Since this limit applies only after a long period of seniority, its effects will only become noticeable from 2043 onwards.

As of February 2026, the law is currently before the Chamber of Representatives for debate, amendment, and eventual passage.

Duration of notice period for the first 5 years of employment:

Commentary

No information available.

Additional metadata

Cost covered by

None

Involved actors other than national government

Trade union

Involvement (others)

None

Thresholds

Affected employees: No, applicable in all circumstances
Company size: No, applicable in all circumstances
Additional information: No, applicable in all circumstances

Sources

• Wet tot wijziging van de wet van 3 juli 1978 betreffende de arbeidsovereenkomsten met het oog op de beperking van de duur van opeenvolgende arbeidsovereenkomsten voor een bepaalde tijd en vervangingsovereenkomsten
• Securex: Opzegtermijn bij ontslag door werknemer maximaal 13 weken.
• Wet houdende bepalingen tot bevordering van de tewerkstelling
• Federal Public Service Employment, Labour and Social Dialogue (in French - in Dutch)
• Ius Laboris (2011), Individual Dismissals Across Europe, Brussels
• Ius Laboris (2009), Collective Redundancies Guide, Brussels
• Watson Wyatt (2006), Employment Terms & Conditions Report Europe, Volume I, Brussels, Belgium
• Restructuring in Belgium
• Bingen, A., Hégalé, M. and Layon E. (2006), L'accompagnement des travailleurs licenciés collectivement, Courrier hebdomadaire n° 1943-1944, p. 71, Dorssemont
• Dorssemont, F. (2006), 'The Renault Saga (revisited)', European Company Law, Issue 1 (3), pp. 5–10
• Information from the Federation of Liberal Trade Unions of Belgium (CGSLB/ACLVB)
• Dispositions diverses dans le cadre de la modernisation du droit de travail (July 2025)
• Law amending Article 37/2 of the Law of 3 July 1978 on employment contracts, as regards notice periods when the employee does not have more than six months' seniority