According to Groen, employees should be able to interrupt their careers without reason. With that free time, people can stay at home for a while or even take a long trip, while receiving a monthly allowance from the National Employment Office (RVA). This principle is called unmotivated time credit. According to Groen’s co-chairman, Jeremie Vaneeckhout, it is a way to combat stress and burnout among employees.
An unmotivated career break is no longer possible at the moment. It was abolished by the Michel government in 2017. Since then, it is only possible for a good reason, such as caring for a family member. Groen doesn’t think that is right. “A historical mistake,” Vaneeckhout calls it. “Since its abolition in 2017, there has been, not coincidentally, a significant increase in the number of burnouts.” The party therefore wants to reintroduce unmotivated time credit and provide a compensation of 500 euros per month for it.
Election campaign theme
For Groen, workable work and the fight against burnouts are important themes in their election campaign. “We already have 500,000 long-term ill people, one in three of whom has depression or burnout. That costs more than 10 billion euros per year, a greater cost than unemployment. We have to turn that around,” says Vaneeckhout.
The party wants, among other things, a shorter working week for employees in shortage professions. Groen is also in favor of working from home and also wants more prevention at work or a guaranteed wage in case of illness for three months instead of one month. Their most striking position is the reintroduction of unmotivated time credit, which allows employees to temporarily stop working without having to give a specific reason.
“People need to escape the rat race for once. That is not a cost, but an investment that will pay for itself in the long term. Let’s invest in people instead of squeezing them. We also want to debate the activation of long-term sick people, but the challenge is to provide workable work,” says Vaneeckhout. This will therefore also be an important point for Groen during the government negotiations.
LOOK. The Voice of Jeremie Vaneeckhout.
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Tags: Remarkable Green proposal employees temporarily stop working specific reason Domestic
