Joint committee (JC)
A joint committee is the sectoral consultation body of employers and unions. Its collective agreements set your minimum wages, premiums, notice rules and working conditions. Your JC number is on your payslip and determines more about your pay than your job title.
Why your JC number matters
Belgium regulates working conditions largely per sector. The joint committee your employer falls under determines your minimum scales, your shift premiums, your end-of-year premium, extra leave days, notice rules on top of the law and often sector benefits such as eco vouchers or a supplementary pension through a sector fund.
Which JCs do you meet in technical work?
The big industrial committees: JC 111 for metal, machine and electrical construction (blue-collar), JC 209 for white-collar staff in the same sector, JC 200 as the general supplementary committee for white-collar workers, JC 124 for construction, JC 116 and 207 for chemicals, JC 118 and 220 for food, and JC 149.01 for electricians. Each with its own scales and premiums.
How to use it
When comparing two job offers, compare the committees too: the same gross pay in a different JC can differ by hundreds of euros through premiums, leave and sector pension. You find your JC on your payslip or contract; the corresponding scales are public on the Federal Employment Service website. Our salary guide shows market ranges per profession across committees.
Frequently asked questions
Where do I find my joint committee?
On your payslip (usually as PC or JC with a number), in your work regulations or through HR. Your employer's activity determines the committee, not your role: an electromechanic in a food company falls under the food JC, not metal.
May my employer pay less than the JC scale?
No: sector scales are binding minima. Paying more is always allowed, and in technical shortage professions market pay usually sits above the scale. If you are below it, you have an enforceable right to correction; the union or inspectorate can help.
Related on this site: Your salary package in Belgium explained: more than gross alone · Salary negotiation for technical profiles: how to approach it
Want to see what this means in practice?
Browse our open technical vacancies: every role shows a transparent salary range, the shift system and the premiums.