General
Blue-collar worker
An employee primarily engaged in manual labor.
Definition
A blue-collar worker (ouvrier / werkman) is a category of employee primarily engaged in performing manual labor. Historically, Belgian law, including the 1978 Act, maintained distinctions between blue-collar and white-collar workers, although legislative efforts, such as the 2013 Act on unified employment status, have aimed to harmonize certain aspects of their employment conditions, particularly regarding notice periods.