Notice period for blue-collar workers in Belgium
Since 1 January 2014 the law no longer has separate notice periods for blue-collar workers. You therefore get the same weeks as a white-collar colleague with equal seniority. Differences remain in your seniority from before 2014 and in a few sector rules.
The same table as white-collar staff
The FPS Employment is clear: for contracts that began from 2014, the terms are identical for blue-collar and white-collar workers. A blue-collar worker with three years of service who is dismissed is entitled to 13 weeks.
Source: FOD Werkgelegenheid, opzeggingstermijnen bij ontslag door de werkgever (contract vanaf 1 januari 2014) (checked on 23 October 2026)
Blue-collar workers who started before 2014
If you are dismissed, your employer adds up part I and part II. Part I follows the rules that applied to your sector on 31 December 2013, often expressed in days. Part II follows the table in weeks for your years from 2014.
For a worker in the chemical industry (JC 116) with three years of seniority at the end of 2013, the FPS counts 42 days as part I; the part in weeks comes on top.
Source: FOD Werkgelegenheid, opzeggingstermijn van de werkman, contract gestart vóór 1 januari 2014 (checked on 23 October 2026)
Construction and other sectors with shorter terms
For blue-collar workers in a number of joint committees, including JC 124 (construction) and JC 126 (upholstery and woodworking), the law temporarily allowed shorter notice periods. That exception ran until 31 December 2017.
For construction workers without a fixed workplace who usually work on temporary or mobile sites, the law meant to keep those short terms permanently. On 17 September 2015 the Constitutional Court found this discriminatory and let the scheme apply only until the end of 2017. Since 1 January 2018 they too get the uniform terms.
For the part of your seniority from before 2014, the sector royal decree in force at the end of 2013 remains the basis. If you work in construction and were already employed then, have that part checked by your union or payroll provider.
Sources: FOD Werkgelegenheid, eenheidsstatuut: tijdelijke uitzondering tot 31 december 2017 (checked on 23 October 2026); FOD Werkgelegenheid, eenheidsstatuut: bijzondere afwijking voor tijdelijke en mobiele bouwplaatsen (checked on 23 October 2026); LexGO, Grondwettelijk Hof vernietigt korte opzeggingstermijnen voor bouwvakkers (20 september 2015) (checked on 23 October 2026); FOD Werkgelegenheid, opzeggingstermijn van de werkman, contract gestart vóór 1 januari 2014 (checked on 23 October 2026)
Temporary unemployment
If you are temporarily unemployed for economic reasons, you may end the contract without notice and without compensation, also under a part-time work scheme. As a blue-collar worker you have the same right when temporary unemployment due to bad weather lasts more than a month.
Source: FOD Werkgelegenheid, bijzondere regels (tegenopzegging, pensioen, ziekte, tijdelijke werkloosheid) (checked on 23 October 2026)
What is your term?
Choose who gives notice and since when you have been employed, and see your number of weeks and last day straight away.
Frequently asked questions
Is there still a shorter notice period in construction?
Not for your seniority from 2014. The shorter sector terms applied until the end of 2017; since then workers in JC 124 follow the general table. Only your seniority from before 2014 still runs through the old sector rules.
Sources: FOD Werkgelegenheid, eenheidsstatuut: tijdelijke uitzondering tot 31 december 2017 (checked on 23 October 2026); LexGO, Grondwettelijk Hof vernietigt korte opzeggingstermijnen voor bouwvakkers (20 september 2015) (checked on 23 October 2026); FOD Werkgelegenheid, opzeggingstermijn van de werkman, contract gestart vóór 1 januari 2014 (checked on 23 October 2026)
Does my time as a temp count towards my seniority?
Yes, if the user company then hires you in the same role. That temp period then counts up to one year at most. If you later resign yourself, that rule does not apply.
Source: FOD Werkgelegenheid, ontslag door opzegging: algemene regels (checked on 23 October 2026)
Does my holiday pay count in a severance payment?
As a blue-collar worker you receive your holiday pay from the holiday fund or the national holiday office, not from your employer. According to Securex it therefore does not belong in the basis of your severance payment, whereas a white-collar worker's double holiday pay does.
Source: Securex Lex4You, hoe wordt de opzegvergoeding berekend? (bijgewerkt 6 februari 2026) (checked on 23 October 2026)
General information based on the law and the sources listed. Your collective agreement, your contract and your payroll provider or union remain decisive for your own situation.
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