Proposition 54K1639

Projet de loi relatif au travail à distance au sein de la Défense.

General information ¶

Submitted by

MR Swedish coalition

Submission date

Feb. 8, 2016

Official page

Visit

Status

Adopted

Requirement

Simple

Subjects

armed forces military personnel organisation of work home working teleworking

Voting ¶

Voted to adopt

Groen CD&V Vooruit Ecolo LE PS | SP DéFI ∉ Open Vld N-VA MR PVDA | PTB PP VB

Contact form ¶

Do you have a question or request regarding this proposition? Select the most appropriate option for your request and I will get back to you shortly.

Discussion ¶

March 17, 2016 | Plenary session (Chamber of representatives)

Full source

The rapporteur is Mr. by Pirlot. This is stated in his written report. by Mr. Ducarme, who was on the list of speakers, apologized because he is held in commission.

I would like to speak briefly on behalf of our group.

Our group supports this bill, in the sense that it is a first step that makes it possible to do remote work also within Defence. We absolutely agree with the objectives of the plan to enable remote work. The draft law aims to better align work and private life. For a member of staff who works at the ordinary workplace at Defence, a certain arrangement concerning the working time within which he is deemed to perform the requested work applies.

In the case of telework, it is rather intended to work project-based. It requires certain tasks to be completed at a certain time. The remote worker is then given the freedom to perform his task within a wider timeframe than the classical office hours. For example, it should be possible for a teleworker to take his or her children to school and get them back.

We believe that this design is only a start. In the future, this will, on the one hand, be evaluated and, on the other hand, possibly expanded to meet the new needs that require efficient and sustainable operation of Defence and personnel.

Of course, the principle of telework works through a trust bond. However, an evaluation of these can only bring improvements. We ask that in a future evaluation also evaluate the anticipated fees. The draft law provides in Article 12, in the first place only for a flat fee of 62 euro cents per day for the Internet connection of the telecommunications worker. The evaluation and possible extension to satellite workplaces should, where appropriate, consider whether there is a possibility to also grant compensation for heating and/or electricity costs, as is the case in the private sector.

Mr. Speaker, it was in any case planned that I refer to my written report, which is very well done. This bill was unanimously adopted at the Defence Committee on March 2.

That being said, I will briefly speak on behalf of the PS Group.

The bill that is submitted to us aims to establish remote work within the Ministry of Defense for military personnel. If we support this project, it is simply because we can subscribe to the objectives displayed by such a project. This is a means of modernising the organization of work within this department, by providing an additional opportunity for members of the military personnel of the Defense to better reconcile work and private life by having greater autonomy in the performance of their tasks.

However, since we are talking about the army, it is obviously a matter of realizing that such a project cannot apply to all the tasks of the military and also involves accompanying it with the necessary material and security measures.

It seems that this project has been well discussed in a more comprehensive approach with the unions and takes back the comments of the State Council, which we can welcome.

He also expressed his wish that Mr. The Minister shall ensure that such a project does not turn into a potentially vexatory measure, since it will be a discretionary power of the head of body and therefore double standards can be made in this matter.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank you for your support for this bill, which, in my view, is indeed a step forward in the flexibility of defence work. I have indeed committed myself to conduct an evaluation during the discussion in the committee, but I will not do so today, Mr. Top.

In response to your comment, Mr. Pirlot, I point out that the bill is aligned to the maximum as regards the employees of the Public Service.

This is right about it. Therefore, I do not make an evaluation today, I will let it come into effect. It is true that there is a need for a bond of trust between the executive and the stakeholder, but that bond can only grow.