Joint Committee 124: what you need to know

Joint Committee 124 (JC 124) governs labour relations in the construction sector in Belgium. It sets the rules that balance workers' rights with employers' needs. Here is what you need to know about how it works, its role, and what it means for your business.

What is Joint Committee 124?

Joint Committee 124 is the social dialogue body that governs labour relations in the construction sector. It establishes collective labour agreements (CLAs) covering several aspects of work:

• Wage conditions
• Working hours
• Safety and health on site
• Workers' rights and obligations

Its role is also to guarantee a constructive dialogue between unions and employer representatives in the sector.

Who is covered by JC 124?

All workers active in the construction sector in Belgium fall under this committee. This includes:

• Companies specialised in building work (structural work, roofing, joinery, etc.)
• Subcontractors active on site
• Construction workers, whether full time or part time

Working hours

Working hours in the construction sector are governed by strict rules, to balance professional and personal life while respecting workers' safety. For example:

• A normal working day is capped at 8 hours
• The standard working week is limited to 40 hours, with adjustments possible depending on the period
• Overtime must be declared and paid according to the scales

Benefits for workers in the sector

Thanks to JC 124, workers benefit from several specific advantages, including:

• A legitimation card: after working 200 days (or the equivalent) within a year, workers receive a legitimation card. It certifies their seniority in the sector and gives access to additional benefits, such as extra compensation during temporary unemployment.
• Loyalty stamps: workers receive loyalty stamps equal to 9% of their annual gross salary, distributed at the end of the year.
• Bad weather stamps: if work is interrupted due to adverse weather conditions, workers in structural work, roofing, or pointing are entitled to compensation equal to half their salary for the hours not worked.
• Eco vouchers: full time workers are entitled to eco vouchers worth 115 € per year, reduced by half for part time work or a half year worked.
• Compensatory rest days: although the standard week is 40 hours, workers receive 12 compensatory rest days per year, to bring the annual average down to 38 hours per week.

JC 124 wages from 1 July 2026

Wages for construction workers are regularly adjusted to reflect the evolving cost of living. These adjustments, known as indexations, aim to protect workers' purchasing power against inflation. The construction sector is one of the few joint committees to index wages several times a year.

Here is the base scale in effect since 1 July 2026 (figures taken from the FGTB's official website):

These amounts are calculated on the basis of a 40 hour working week. They evolve according to the smoothed health index, and the social partners within JC 124 determine the pace and scale of these adjustments to balance business competitiveness with workers' purchasing power.

T-Report, a solution built for the construction sector

Save time managing hours
T-Report simplifies time tracking by automating the recording and calculation of hours worked. No more manually checking each worker's hours: plan your teams ahead of time, site by site.

Easy data export
With T-Report, exporting hours worked takes just a few clicks, whether to a spreadsheet, a PDF, or directly to your payroll provider. This simplifies wage calculations, mobility allowances, and overtime.

Accurate tracking of overtime and leave
The software tracks overtime and leave for your workers, and can alert you when a threshold is reached. This helps you plan ahead and avoid payroll errors linked to undeclared hours.

Compliance with sector regulations
T-Report incorporates the specific rules of JC 124: mobility allowances, indexations, rest periods. You stay compliant with current regulations, without spending hours on it every month.

Support and guidance
Our team remains available to support you in setting up and using T-Report day to day, whether for technical questions or organisational ones.

In short, T-Report is not just a tool for tracking hours. It is a complete solution that optimises time management, improves compliance, and reduces the risk of errors, for businesses active in the construction sector.