6.5 Teleworking

One of the realities undeniably linked to the pandemic is the increase in teleworking. The Covid-19 crisis and various lockdowns have made telework possible in places where it was not initially practised, as shown by new figures from Statbel, the Belgian office of statistics.

Telework had been increasing slightly for twenty years previously, rising from 6 to 8% in the early 2000s to 18.9% in 2019. A more recent survey by FPS Mobility and Transport shows that in four years, the proportion of workers working from home almost doubled. In 2018, 17% of Belgians worked from home at least one day a week. In 2022, this proportion increased to 32%.

Teleworking has become a new reality. It can bring added value in terms of wellbeing and productivity, provided it is well managed.

In this respect, the FGTB demands the following:

• it should be voluntary and accessible to all;

• respect for working hours and working times, recording of working hours and the right to log off after working hours;

• fair compensation for additional costs incurred (including rising gas and electricity prices, ergonomic equipment, in particular);

• the use of effective means of communication between employees and employers;

• the availability of tools enabling all collective rights for remote working to be put into practice;

• the assessment and remediation of certain aspects of health and well-being;

• respect for workers’ privacy (if checks are in place, they mustn’t be disproportionate);

• the implementation of training for this new way of working to be managed in the best possible way.

6.6 Working conditions and inspection

Labour inspection controls are becoming increasingly rare.

But cases such as Borealis (a serious situation of social exploitation and human trafficking) in Antwerp can fall through the cracks.

It should be noted that in October 2022, the Vivaldi government decided to strengthen the labour inspectorate by hiring 50 additional staff. We hope that this will bear fruit in terms of improving working conditions.

Workplace Inspections Are Declining In Europe

Based on a survey that asks: “Have you been visited by a labour inspector in the past three years?”

Austria

Denmark

Finland

Belgium

Ireland UK

Spain

Sweden

Portugal

Switzerland

Italy

Norway

France

Luxembourg

Netherlands

For Belgium, workplace inspections fell from 68% in 2014 to 50% in 2019, one of the most significant declines

Sources: Graph Maarten Hermans, Denktank Minerva. Data: European Agency for Safety at Work (2020)

7. Will the energy crisis lead to a just transition?

More than ever, we need to take the energy transition seriously. Natural disasters (heatwaves, fires, floods, droughts, etc.) are becoming more and more frequent and the current energy crisis is making us face up to our vulnerability with regard to energy supplies in Europe.

7.1 The climate or the urgent need to take action

The findings of the World Meteorological Organisation are worrying to say the least:

- the past seven years (2014-2021) have been the hottest ever recorded;

- the average temperature on the Earth’s surface is 1.11°C higher than in the pre-industrial era (period from 1850-1900);

- four key climate change indicators – greenhouse gas concentrations, sea level rises, ocean warming and acidification – set new records in 2021;

- extreme weather conditions, which are the day-to-day manifestation of climate change, have caused a major impact on the quality of life for many people, as well as economic damage in the hundreds of billions of dollars. They have also taken a heavy human toll.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) estimates that the average increase in the Earth’s surface temperature by 2100 compared to the period 1986-2005 will range from 0.3 to 1.7°C for the most ambitious emission reduction scenarios, and from 2.6 to 4.8°C for the least ambitious scenarios. The average increase predicted by the IPCC will therefore undoubtedly have an impact on our planet and on humanity as a whole. Less

+0,3°C to

+1,7°C

+2,6°C to

+4,8°C

The graph below clearly shows that the average annual temperature in Uccle (Brussels) has been gradually increasing since the late 1800s.

CHANGE IN THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE IN UCCLE (1833-2021)

Annual values Trend curve (trend since 1981 +0.4°C per decade)¢

THE 30 HOTTEST YEARS IN UCCLE (BRUSSELS) SINCE 1833

More worrying still, if we look at the warmest average temperatures over a long period, the 20 warmest years are after 1988, while the 20 coldest years were all recorded before 1896.

years 2011-2020 years 2001-2010 years 1991-2000 years before 1991

7.2 Energy transition

The exit from nuclear: what is the situation in Belgium?

The FGTB has always considered that nuclear energy should be a transitional energy. The gradual phaseout of nuclear power for industrial electricity production on Belgian territory is regulated by the Act of 31st January 2003. This legislation was amended in 2013 and 2015 to extend the operating life of Tihange 1, Doel 1 and Doel 2 by 10 years.

Belgium had 7 nuclear reactors: 4 in Doel (Antwerp) and 3 in Tihange (Liège). Doel 3 was the first reactor to be shut down as part of the nuclear phase-out on 1 October 2022. Tihange 2 will be closed in February 2023. A few months ago, the Vivaldi government agreed on a ten-year extension of the two newest reactors, Tihange 3 and Doel 4, beyond 2025 (the date by which Belgium was supposed to have phased out nuclear power). These two reactors should be operational in October-November 2026 so that the country’s security of energy supply is guaranteed at the beginning of the winter of 2026-2027.

The phasing out of nuclear power has required and continues to require solutions to ensure security of supply. Security of supply is important for households as well as for small and large companies.

As the graph below shows, the proportion of renewable energy is increasing over time but remains insufficient.

In 2021, in Belgium, nuclear production represented 52.4% of production, renewable production (solar, onshore and offshore wind, biogas) was 18.9%.

(GROSS) ELECTRICITY PRODUCTION BY ENERGY VECTOR IN GWH (1990-2021)

Thermal Thermal non-renewable Thermal renewable Nuclear

* Thermal – renewable” includes solid and liquid biomass, biogas and renewable waste. “Thermal - non-renewable” includes solid and liquid fossil fuels, natural gas and non-renewable waste. “Other” includes hydrogen and chemical heat recovery.

For more than a decade, Belgium has been investing in energy-saving and also in renewable energies (wind, hydro, solar, geothermal, chemical and biomass).

In 2021, Belgium introduced a capacity remuneration mechanism (CRM) to ensure security of the electricity supply after the planned closure of all its nuclear power plants. This will support energy transition. From 2021 onwards, this mechanism should provide support via subsidies, through annual auctions, to companies that can supply or save electricity from 2025 onwards.

For the FGTB, ecological transition must become a tool for social justice. Social justice is a driver for the transition to a 100% carbon-free economy. In the transition to a climate-neutral society, our industry plays a crucial role, and here too the pandemic offers opportunities, as it has clearly demonstrated how vulnerable we are compared with other regions and how quickly supply chains are disrupted and broken. By resolutely playing the sustainability card as a society – in Belgium and in Europe – in the very short term, and by focusing on proximity and shortening supply chains, our industry can become more resilient and competitive, guaranteeing additional jobs and even ensuring the emergence of new industrial sectors.