Like I mentioned in another thread, here I go.
A Belgium technician earns +/- 14 /hour, the very well paid 16 /hour.
He may work max 38 hrs/ week.
If he has to work more, the first 2 hours have the same wage, the following 2 muuts be payed at 150 %, the then following at 200%.
Sunday and Saturday afternoon is 200%.
From that wage, the worker receives net in his hands +/- 55% to 60 %.
The deduction of that wage serves fro a pre-payment of his annual taxes, obliged insurances and the later retirement.
At the end of the year, a technician receives +/- 1.250 as a bonus. During the holidays (22 days/year in summer) he/she dont works but receives his holiday pay of +/- twice the monthly net payment (+/- 2.250 )
So the net year payment for a technician will be +/- 18000 to 19000 . For this amount, everything is already paid (insurances, taxes, medication..).
The company credits 35 /hour + transport costs.
What if an employee becomes sick in Belgium? I think we have one of the best social systems in the whole world.
If he/she becomes sick and he needs a doctor for only minor sickness (a flu or a common cold), he only has to pay +/-5 to 10 . Medication is almost free (you pay max 5% of the medication value or even nothing)
If the disease is worser like an accident, operation, your wife will have a baby (not a disease I suppose), then you have to pay max 400 , whatever they have to do with you.
Even revalidation or medication afterwards is all included.
Kids not older then 16 years even have t pay 0 , even for the dentist.
This is also valid for the self-employed refr. Techs if they are insured. Very cheap, I pay 150 /year for this.
Even if you never had worked in your life, you still have the same rights.
What if an employee becomes unemployed? The first year, he still receives +/-90% of his last wage. Thereafter, this amount is lowered to +/- 900 if you live alone and can go till 1.400 or more if you have kids and your wife has no income.
This is not valid for self-employed techs. If you become unemployed, its a pity unless you where insured (Im insured for an amount 30 /day and this cost me +/- 1.250 /year)
Once you become retired, officially at 65 years, often at 60 years you receive your retirement pay. This is +/- 1.250 to 1.500 . Those who did military service or any other government job (teachers, customs, polices, tax employees ) receive as there monthly pension the same amount as they had when they stopped working.
A self-employed tech who retires gets +/- 400 retirement pay (!) So you need to save for you old days while working. I have a combined insurance if I become unemployed for whatever reason this may be and for my retirement.
For each kid you have, you receive a monthly amount (my dictionary translates this as a family allowance) The more kids you have and the older they become, the more the amount raises/kid and the older they become. For example when they are born : 1st kid = 100 , 2 nd kid = 125 and 3th kid = 150 . If one of the kids is handicapped, the amounts doubles.
If you have a house and you have to pay a loan, then the interests are deductible from your gross wage. You also must take a life insurance, if one dies, the loan is paid immediately by the insurance company .
What we also have in our business is an insurance for lawyers. If we need one, the insurance pays him/her. This cost +/- 600 /year. The max amount the lawyer the insurance pays is +/- 60000
Car insurance all in: +/-1700 (also your own losses) or +/- 400 if you only take an insurance where they pay the losses for the other side.
Some prices here: a bread:1.55 , a bottle cola (1,5 l): 1,25 , a glass of beer; 1,7 , one liter fuel :1,1 , R404a, R407 +/- 9,5 , a hermetic unit of 2 HP/R404a FH4525ZHR (Unithι Hermιtique/France): 612 , a Copeland compressor DLHA-50 X: 1350 , D8SK-700X : 6506 ,