Wage-setting in Belgium: Collective Autonomy under the Shadow of the Law

In this contribution, a brief outline of wage-setting in Belgium will be given. Wages will be contextualized as constituting an essential element of the employment relation. The setting of these wages is the result of a combined exercise of individual and collective autonomy. In cases of conflict, collective autonomy will prevail. The contribution addresses the limits of both individual and collective autonomy and identifies the underlying rationales. Since collective autonomy has now for decades been exercised under the shadow of the law, the question is warranted whether this structural system of wage moderation is still compatible with the principles of free collective bargaining