The employment team is composed by highly dedicated lawyers and seasoned professionals. They operate and function in an integrated way with other teams within the firm. Over the years they have developed a pragmatic approach to client matters, focusing on issues and providing effective solutions.
The team provides advice and defends litigations on:
Collective relations
1. Corporate restructuring – consultations with representative bodies; collective bargaining agreements and customary in-house practices; negotiation with union representatives, with issues like collective dismissals, closing, transfer of undertaking or outsourcing.
2. Structuring employees’ working hours - employment incentives, overtime etc. in view of getting more flexibility with the business needs or the work life balance.
Individual relations
1. Salaried workers - specific contracts (top executives, trade representatives, etc.); clauses protecting the company (non-competition, employee inventions, confidentiality, mobility etc.);
2. Company executives - legal status and employment protection; co-existence of employee contracts and corporate mandates, self-employed;
3. Salary policy - individual remuneration regimes; collective regimes of remuneration, stock option plans, new bonus system (CBA 90);
4. Individual and collective management of departures - redundancies, departures and early retirements;
Security - Litigation
1. Social security
2. Safety & Security at work
3. Social inspection
4. Criminal affairs
International mobility
1. Work permit, professional card, visa,
2. Expatriates status, split salary,
3 Social security planning, tax planning, salary packages, etc.
Pensions
Finally, our Team has worked in close cooperation with clients on various complementary pensions and related issues (litigation, discrimination issues, international aspects, etc.).
Due to our broad professional expertise we are familiar with the different specific needs of each commercial sector and focus on advice not only complying with the relevant law but solving possible disputes practically. As members of the CMS organisation, we may provide with the other CMS firms the similar services across Europe.
The Employment team at CMS DeBacker is also specialist in specific products:
• Positive reorganisation process
• Top executives support
• Social watch
• Safety & security at work
• Complementary pensions issues
Legal 500:
2008: "The team of three partners and seven associates operating out of Brussels and Antwerp, maintains its position as one of the top employment teams in the country."