Social secretariat Lokeren: the Business Centrum team in Ghent

For employers in Lokeren, Eksaarde, Daknam and Moerbeke

Social secretariat for Lokeren: construction, manufacturing and wholesale

A social secretariat for your company in Lokeren is Business Centrum in Ghent: we run your payroll, Dimona declarations and contracts, and the returns go through Acerta. The train takes you to Gent-Dampoort in 12 minutes, direct, but a phone call is usually enough. We know the joint committees of construction, manufacturing and wholesale, the sectors that weigh most in Lokeren.

What we take over

Employers in Lokeren: construction, manufacturing and wholesale

Lokeren and Moerbeke have been one town since 1 January 2025. Together they have 50,897 inhabitants and 5,113 VAT-registered businesses. Three sectors shape the staff work:

  1. Construction

    With 1,029 businesses, construction is the largest group in Lokeren. Of these, 185 work in civil engineering. Blue-collar staff fall under JC 124, with loyalty stamps, bad-weather days and their own pay scales.

  2. Manufacturing

    328 businesses in Lokeren are manufacturers. In the Sint-Niklaas district, manufacturing has 11,487 employee jobs, most of them in food (2,203) and metal (1,988). Blue-collar staff then fall under JC 118 or JC 111, white-collar staff under JC 220 or JC 209.

  3. Wholesale

    248 businesses in Lokeren are wholesalers. Their committee depends on what they trade. More on wholesale as a sector.

Lokeren in figures

Official figures on the town and the Sint-Niklaas district, and the trip to our office.

Lokeren in figures
FigureValueReference dateSource
Road distance from Lokeren town hall to our office in Ghent (km)30OpenStreetMap: OpenStreetMap, routeplanner OSRM: route van het stadhuis van Lokeren naar Doornzelestraat, Gent
Driving time to our office in Ghent, without traffic (minutes)28OpenStreetMap: OpenStreetMap, routeplanner OSRM: route van het stadhuis van Lokeren naar Doornzelestraat, Gent
Fastest direct train from Lokeren station to Gent-Dampoort (minutes)12iRail: iRail, NMBS-dienstregeling via de iRail-API, maandag 19 oktober 2026
Population of Lokeren50,897Statbel: Statbel, Structuur van de bevolking: bevolking per gemeente op 1 januari 2026
VAT-registered businesses with head office in Lokeren5,113Statbel: Statbel, open data: btw-plichtige ondernemingen volgens rechtsvorm en gemeente, 2024
VAT-registered businesses in construction, Lokeren1,029Statbel: Statbel, open data: btw-plichtige ondernemingen volgens rechtsvorm en gemeente, 2024
VAT-registered businesses in manufacturing, Lokeren328Statbel: Statbel, open data: btw-plichtige ondernemingen volgens rechtsvorm en gemeente, 2024
Employee jobs in manufacturing, Sint-Niklaas district11,487NSSO: RSZ, Verdeling van de arbeidsplaatsen naar plaats van tewerkstelling, 31 december 2024

What Business Centrum takes over for your company in Lokeren

This is what we take over:

  • The right joint committee, also when blue-collar and white-collar staff fall under different ones
  • Pay for your construction workers on the JC 124 pay scale
  • Monthly salaries, with indexation, end-of-year bonus and holiday pay
  • The quarterly return and NSSO contributions, via Acerta
  • Leave, sickness and absences
  • The switch from your current social secretariat

What is left for you

You tell us who works and what changes. We call you if something is not right.

Business Centrum is a payroll and HR office and your fixed contact in Ghent. Returns to the NSSO go through Acerta, a recognised social secretariat.

Working with our Ghent office from Lokeren

We have no office in Lokeren. This is how it still runs smoothly:

  1. Call or get a call back

    You call us or your fixed contact calls you back.

  2. By appointment in Ghent

    Our office is at Doornzelestraat 23-25, 9000 Ghent. The train is the quickest way: 12 minutes without a change to Gent-Dampoort, the station closest to our office. By car it is 30 km via the E17 and the R4, 28 minutes without traffic.

  3. Everything else remotely

    You pass on hours worked and absences by email or phone. You do not need to come to Ghent for your payroll.

How to start from Lokeren

  1. Get acquainted

    A conversation by phone or at our office: who works for you, under which committee, what is in place?

  2. Start

    We set up your file with Acerta and handle the switch if you already have a social secretariat.

  3. Every month

    You pass on the hours worked, we do the rest. Your staff get their payslip on time.

Social secretariat in Lokeren: frequently asked questions

Do you also work for companies in Moerbeke?

Yes. Since the merger Moerbeke is part of Lokeren, like Eksaarde and Daknam. We work for the whole town.

My construction firm has workers on site and office staff. How many committees is that?

Usually two: JC 124 for the blue-collar staff and a committee for the white-collar staff. We set both up correctly before we calculate the first salaries.

Can I switch in the middle of the year?

Yes, although your current contract sometimes has a notice period. We look at it with you and handle the rest. How it works is in our guide on [changing social secretariat](/gids/sociaal-secretariaat-veranderen/).

Read more

Sources

Every amount and deadline on this page was checked against these official sources, last consulted on .

Social secretariat in Lokeren

Want the staff work in Lokeren off your desk?

Call us or ask for a call back. Afterwards you know which committees apply and what we take over, and you get a quote for your company.

Call 09 395 94 00Free consultation