Joint Committee 124 / Construction / Ghent
Social secretariat
for construction.
Workers. Site personnel.
Subcontractors.
We handle the HR.
JC 124 has its own holiday rules, its own wage fund and specific rules for bad weather. We know every single one of them.
Sector code
124
Joint committee for the construction industry
Applicable to all workers in general construction, earthworks, demolition and related sub-sectors in Belgium.
Why JC 124 is different from almost every other joint committee
Blue-collar workers, not white-collar
The vast majority of construction personnel falls under blue-collar status. This means different sick pay and a completely different calculation basis for holiday pay than for white-collar employees. Notice periods, however, are the same for contracts started since 2014.
Holiday pay via the fund, not the employer
For white-collar employees, the employer pays holiday pay directly. For blue-collar workers, and so in construction, it does not. The construction holiday fund receives the contributions via the NSSO and pays holiday pay directly to the worker. You do not pay the worker for that holiday day.
Year-end bonus via Constructiv
The year-end bonus (also known as the thirteenth month) in construction is not paid by the employer but via Constructiv, the construction sector fund, in the form of loyalty stamps. Your responsibility: register and contribute correctly. The fund handles the rest.
Temporary unemployment during bad weather
JC 124 has a specific scheme for economic unemployment and for unemployment due to bad weather (rain, frost, strong wind). The employer reports the first day of unemployment in the month to the ONEM, at the latest the next working day. Correctly notified: workers receive 60% of their wage from the government, you pay nothing that day.
Site allowance: sectorally mandatory
Construction workers are entitled to a site allowance covering travel costs to the building site. The amount depends on the distance. This is not optional: it is a CBA obligation that must automatically be included in every wage.
How it works
Holiday pay in construction: who pays what?
The construction holiday scheme is one of the most confusing aspects of JC 124. Many employers think they have to pay holiday pay themselves. That is incorrect. But the contributions you pay throughout the year are higher than for white-collar employees, precisely because the holiday fund is financed via NSSO.
Double payment is a myth
You do NOT pay the worker double during the holiday year. You pay higher NSSO contributions during the year, but you do not pay for the holiday day itself. The fund does that. You do, however, pay the replacement worker if you hire one.
Holiday pay cash flow JC 124
Normal NSSO contributions + holiday contribution for blue-collar workers (in construction collected every quarter, without an annual debit notice)
The construction holiday fund (Nationale Patroonskas voor het Betaald Verlof in de Bouwbedrijven). The money is held separately from your account.
Via your social secretariat, days worked per quarter are reported. On this basis, the fund calculates the holiday entitlement of each worker.
The worker. The employer pays no wage that day. The worker receives holiday pay from the fund: single and double holiday pay together.
Nothing for that holiday day. You have funded it via NSSO contributions. You must, however, allow the worker to take holiday and correctly register the absence.
Legal basis
Law of 28 June 1971 on annual holidays of workers. For the construction sector: its own special holiday fund, which pays out the holiday pay.
Concrete situation
It is freezing down to minus 8 degrees - bad-weather regime applies. The sites are inaccessible.
You call us at 06:30 at the earliest.
We file the ONEM declaration for temporary unemployment.
Your workers receive 60% of their wage from the government.
You pay nothing that day.
Type 1
Bad weather
When applicable
Persistent rain making work impossible. Frost or strong wind making work impossible. Snow or black ice at the workplace.
Procedure
Declaration to ONEM via electronic portal. Deadline: the working day before, the same day or at the latest the working day after the first day of unemployment in the month. Business Centrum handles this for you.
What the worker receives
60% of the capped average daily wage, paid by ONEM. The employer pays no wage that day.
Missing the deadline
Filed too late: you pay the wage yourself up to the working day before your late notice, the full wage for the first 7 days.
Type 2
Economic reasons
When applicable
Lack of work due to economic causes: orders cancelled, tender failed, construction project postponed. Not due to weather conditions but market conditions.
Procedure
Longer procedure: notice to the workers and to ONEM at least 4 working days in advance for a full suspension, 7 calendar days for partial work. On the same day you inform the works council or the union delegation of the economic reasons.
What the worker receives
60% via ONEM, supplemented by a construction allowance from Constructiv. Above 24 days per service year, Constructiv reclaims it from the employer. Net income drops noticeably.
Key difference from bad weather
Economic unemployment requires more preparation. You cannot apply for it on the day itself. Business Centrum guides the entire procedure.
Business Centrum files the temporary unemployment declaration for you, checks whether your situation meets the legal condition and sends you the confirmation. Call us before 10:00. We handle the rest for that day.
Construction is hard work. The administration does not have to be.
Administrative errors at my previous office caused my former business to go bankrupt. Since then I have been with Business Centrum. They know my file inside out, call me proactively and everything is always correct. They literally saved me.
Reference wage scales
Minimum wages and allowances JC 124
Minimum hourly wages from 1 October 2026. Scales are indexed every quarter. Always check the most recent CBA.
| Function / Category | Min. hourly wage (approx.) | Site allowance | Year-end bonus |
|---|---|---|---|
| Category I (unskilled) | €18.747/hr | Distance-based | Loyalty stamps via Constructiv |
| Category IA | €19.680/hr | Distance-based | Loyalty stamps via Constructiv |
| Category II (semi-skilled) | €19.985/hr | Distance-based | Loyalty stamps via Constructiv |
| Category IIA | €20.984/hr | Distance-based | Loyalty stamps via Constructiv |
| Category III (skilled) | €21.254/hr | Distance-based | Loyalty stamps via Constructiv |
| Category IV (highly skilled) | €22.561/hr | Distance-based | Loyalty stamps via Constructiv |
| Team leader (cat. III + 10%) | €23.379/hr | Distance-based | Loyalty stamps via Constructiv |
| Team leader (cat. IV + 10%) | €24.790/hr | Distance-based | Loyalty stamps via Constructiv |
| Foreman (cat. IV + 20%) | €27.003/hr | Distance-based | Loyalty stamps via Constructiv |
Quarterly adjustment
JC 124 scales are adjusted every quarter via indexation. Wages calculated on outdated scales are too low. Business Centrum automatically processes every indexation in your payroll.
Site allowance is mandatory, not optional
The site allowance is established in CBAs under JC 124. Failure to pay it is a violation. During a social inspection you risk retroactive top-up payments for all workers involved.
Legal edge cases
What if this happens on your site?
Construction companies work with a mix of own workers, agency staff and subcontractors. That complexity makes the sector vulnerable to checks by the Social Inspection and NSSO. Below are three situations we regularly encounter.
False self-employment
A subcontractor works exclusively for me. Is he an employee?
False self-employment is a priority inspection in construction. The Social Inspection looks at criteria such as exclusivity, authority relationship, use of materials and the risk the subcontractor bears. If they decide he is in fact your worker, you are liable for the NSSO contributions of the past three years (ten years in case of fraud), plus fines. Business Centrum advises you on the correct legal structure and documents the self-employment relationship so that you can demonstrate at inspection that there is no bogus self-employment.
DIMONA and liability
A worker falls from scaffolding. Work accident without a valid DIMONA?
Even without a valid DIMONA the worker stays covered: your work accident insurer compensates the accident. The missing DIMONA is, however, a level 4 offence, per worker concerned. If you have no work accident insurance, Fedris compensates the worker and recovers all costs from you. That can run to tens of thousands of euros. Business Centrum ensures that every person entering your site is correctly registered, including day labourers and short-term contracts starting that same morning.
Flexi-jobs and construction
My foreman wants to earn extra income via flexi-job. Is that possible in construction?
Since 1 July 2026, flexi-jobs are also allowed in construction. The sector agreement of 16 July 2026 does limit them: on site, only for work without basic safety training, except for retired people with site experience. Your foreman cannot be a flexi-jobber with you: someone already employed by an employer cannot also work there on a flexi-job. Business Centrum checks whether flexi-job rules apply to your specific activity, so your foreman can earn extra income correctly without fiscal or social-law risk.
Our offer
Construction payroll: what Business Centrum does
Everything is sector-specific. No generic HR. Every service is configured for the reality of JC 124.
Frequently asked questions
FAQ: construction and JC 124
Specific for construction companies in Flanders. Is your situation not listed? We answer every question personally.
Ask your question→Read next
- Joint Committee 124 (construction): wages 2026
- Withholding obligation contractor check Belgium: at every payment, with example and penalties
- Bogus self-employment in Belgium: when does your subcontractor become an employee?
- Temporary unemployment in Belgium for economic reasons: what the employer must do
- End-of-year bonus calculation in Belgium: what you pay per sector in 2026, pro rata and after NSSO
- Flexi-jobs in all sectors Belgium 2026: what the September royal decree means for your sector
Sources
Every amount and deadline on this page was checked against these official sources, last consulted on .
- Cao PC 124 van 12 juni 2014 sectorale loonschalen (123027/CO/124), art. 5 kwartaalindexering, toegepast op de FOD-minimumlonen van 1/7/2026 met de afgevlakte gezondheidsindex van Statbel; centenindex volgens de Programmawet van 30 mei 2026 (FOD WASO)
- Cao PC 124 van 16 juli 2026, flexi-jobs (201194/CO/124)
- Cao PC 124 van 5 februari 2026, aanvullende werkloosheidsuitkeringen en wettelijke vergoeding (199120/CO/124), art. 12
- FOD WASO, databank minimumlonen PC 124, historiek
- FOD WASO, opzeggingstermijnen, arbeidsovereenkomst aangevangen vanaf 01/01/2014, ontslag door de werkgever
- FOD WASO, schorsing wegens ziekte en ongeval (gewaarborgd loon, herval)
- RSZ-instructies 2026/3, de socialezekerheidsbijdragen (gecoördineerde wetten van 28 juni 1971 betreffende de jaarlijkse vakantie van de werknemers)
- RSZ, Administratieve instructies 2026/3, Toepassingsgebied en beperkingen flexi-jobs; KB 30 augustus 2026 (BS 9 september 2026)
- RVA, Tijdelijke werkloosheid bouwsector slecht weer (update 16/06/2026)
- RVA, Tijdelijke werkloosheid bouwsector, werkgebrek op grond van economische oorzaken voor arbeiders (KB 30 juli 2010)
- RVA, uitkering bij tijdelijke werkloosheid
- Sociaal Strafwetboek, art. 181, Justel
- Wet 27 juni 1969 (RSZ-wet), art. 42, Justel
Construction HR: correct, complete, no surprises
Business Centrum knows JC 124 inside and out. From the holiday fund to bad-weather declarations, from DIMONA to wage scales. One conversation is enough to get started.
Free consultation→