How pay transparency does not create a legal problem, it creates a motivation problem.

On 20 May, this signal was sent to a client by GuerillaIntelligence. On 1 June, De Tijd and Het Laatste Nieuws covered the topic, triggered by a campaign from Payflip CEO Maura Nachtergaele, who raised exactly the same concerns. The window to act was before it became news.

THE SIGNAL

The EU pay transparency directive (deadline 7 June 2026) gives employees the legal right to request salary comparisons. At the same time, Belgian wage costs rose through automatic indexation and a minimum wage increase to €2,189.81 per April. Interim rates move directly and linearly with this.

THE INSIGHT

Most organisations treat this legislation as an administrative obligation for permanent staff. But interim workers cannot be left out of the equation. Due to ongoing labour market tightness, interim workers are often placed immediately at the maximum salary scale. Add holiday pay and sector premiums, and the monthly gross amount paid to some interim workers already exceeds the base salary of the permanent colleague next to them. When those figures become transparent, retention risk and upward wage pressure follow. Because this effect appears with a delay in the numbers, the window to act is now.

THE ACTION

The CFO who maps the complete wage mix today, permanent and flexible, controls the narrative on the work floor tomorrow. Otherwise this becomes a communication problem.