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Joint Committee 304/302: Obligations in Events

In brief: The events sector in Belgium falls mainly under Joint Committee 304 (entertainment) or Joint Committee 302 (hospitality, for catering). Each Joint Committee imposes its own pay scales, working conditions and social obligations. Confusing the two or ignoring the specifics can be costly in an inspection. This guide details when each Joint Committee applies, pay scales, shift premiums, casual worker arrangements and Dimona (Belgian employee registration) obligations. Shyfter integrates the rules of both joint committees to help you stay compliant.

Joint Committee 304 and Joint Committee 302: two frameworks for one sector

The events sector in Belgium is cross-cutting. The same company can organise a concert (Joint Committee 304), a banquet (Joint Committee 302) and a seminar (Joint Committee 304) in the same week. Understanding which joint committee applies to which activity is not a theoretical exercise. It is a legal obligation that determines pay scales, working conditions and social declarations.

The most common mistake: systematically applying the same Joint Committee to all staff regardless of the event. A sound technician at a festival falls under Joint Committee 304. A waiter at the cocktail reception of the same festival may fall under Joint Committee 302 if catering is handled by a caterer. The distinction rests on the employer's main activity and the nature of the assignment.

Joint Committee 304: the entertainment and events sector

Which companies fall under Joint Committee 304?

Joint Committee 304 covers companies whose main activity is producing or organising shows, cultural events and artistic or technical performances. In practice:

Event agencies (organising concerts, festivals, shows)
Show production companies
Technical production companies (sound, lighting, scenography)
Congress and trade show organisers (predominantly event activity)
Independent technical production companies

The determining criterion is the main activity registered with the Crossroads Bank for Enterprises (CBE). If your main activity is event organisation, you fall under Joint Committee 304, even if some of your events include catering.

Joint Committee 304 pay scales

Joint Committee 304 defines minimum pay scales by job category. The main categories in events:

Category 1: execution roles (handler, runner, technical assistant)
Category 2: skilled roles (sound/lighting technician, decorator, hostess)
Category 3: specialist roles (production manager, technical lead, coordinator)
Category 4: management roles (technical director, producer)

Pay scales are indexed regularly. Check the FPS Employment website for current amounts. Note: Joint Committee 304 scales are minimums. In practice, market rates in the events sector are often higher, especially for qualified technical profiles in high season.

Premiums and supplements under Joint Committee 304

Event work regularly involves evenings, weekends and public holidays. Joint Committee 304 provides specific premiums:

Sunday work: premium of 100% (double the normal wage)
Public holidays: premium of 100%
Night work (between 8pm and 6am): variable premium depending on company agreements, minimum 10% in most cases
Overtime: premium of 50% for the first 2 hours beyond the daily limit, 100% beyond that

These premiums have a direct impact on staff cost per event. A Saturday night gala with breakdown until 3am combines weekend and night premiums. The schedule must account for this from the quoting stage.

The casual worker arrangement under Joint Committee 304

Joint Committee 304 recognises the intermittent nature of event work. Fixed-term contracts and temporary employment contracts are common and regulated. Key points:

Employment contract required for each assignment, even for a single day
Dimona (Belgian employee registration) declaration required before each shift starts
No trial period for fixed-term contracts shorter than 3 months
Proportional end-of-contract indemnity for fixed-term contracts

Working hours and rest

Normal working hours under Joint Committee 304 are 38 hours per week on average. But the sector benefits from derogations to account for its event-based nature:

Possibility of exceeding 9 hours per day and 40 hours per week, with compensatory rest
Sunday work is permitted as of right (exceptional sector)
Night work is permitted as of right
Compulsory weekly rest, but may be postponed

These derogations do not mean there are no limits. The absolute maximum working time remains 11 hours per day and 50 hours per week. The rest period between two assignments is a minimum of 11 consecutive hours.

Joint Committee 302: the hospitality side of events

When does Joint Committee 302 apply in events?

Joint Committee 302 covers the hospitality sector (hotels, restaurants, cafés, catering). In events, it applies when:

The employer's main activity is catering or food service
The company is a caterer providing food and beverage service at events
Food service represents the majority of turnover

Practical example: a caterer organising receptions with table service falls under Joint Committee 302, even if the event includes a DJ and lighting. However, an event agency that subcontracts catering to an external caterer does not fall under Joint Committee 302 for that reason.

Joint Committee 302 pay scales

Joint Committee 302 has its own pay scales, generally different from those of Joint Committee 304. The categories in event catering:

Category I: unskilled staff (kitchen assistant, dishwasher)
Category II: skilled staff (waiter, commis, bartender)
Category III: highly skilled staff (head waiter, chef de partie, maître d'hôtel)
Category IV: management (head chef, restaurant manager)

Flexi-job: an asset under Joint Committee 302

Joint Committee 302 allows flexi-jobs (Belgian term for a tax-advantaged supplementary employment contract), an advantageous status for both employer and worker. Conditions: the flexi-job worker must have a main job of at least 4/5 with another employer. The flexi wage is exempt from regular social contributions (reduced special contribution) and income tax for the worker.

In event catering, flexi-job workers are a valuable resource for supplementing service teams. Important: flexi-job status does not exist under Joint Committee 304. If your company falls under Joint Committee 304, you cannot use flexi-job workers.

Premiums under Joint Committee 302

Premiums under Joint Committee 302 differ from those of Joint Committee 304:

Sunday work: supplement of 2 EUR/hour (not a percentage)
Public holidays: compulsory compensatory rest, no automatic premium unless provided by company agreement
Night work (after midnight): specific premium depending on agreements
Overtime: premium of 50% or 100% depending on the case

Mixed situations: when both Joint Committees overlap

The caterer-events company scenario

Some companies combine activities: catering and event organisation. The applicable Joint Committee depends on the main activity. If turnover comes mainly from catering, it is Joint Committee 302. If event organisation predominates, it is Joint Committee 304.

In case of doubt, the competent joint committee is determined by the NSSO (National Social Security Office) based on the company's actual activity. A reclassification can have significant retroactive consequences (contribution regularisation, pay scale adjustment).

Subcontracting between Joint Committees

When an event agency (Joint Committee 304) subcontracts catering to a caterer (Joint Committee 302), each employer applies their own Joint Committee to their own staff. The lighting technician engaged by the agency falls under Joint Committee 304. The waiter engaged by the caterer falls under Joint Committee 302. Same event, two regimes.

This is a source of complexity for scheduling. Working conditions, premiums and rest times differ. The scheduling tool must be able to manage both regimes simultaneously.

Dimona (Belgian employee registration) declarations: common to both Joint Committees

Regardless of the joint committee, the Dimona declaration is compulsory for each entry and exit from service. In events, the volume is considerable: every casual worker, every student worker, every temporary contractor generates one declaration per assignment.

Specifics by contract type:

Occasional casual worker: Dimona with contract type and precise dates
Student worker: STU Dimona with planned hours (deducted from the annual 475-hour allowance)
Flexi-job (Joint Committee 302 only): FLX Dimona with reference to the framework contract
Agency worker: declaration is the agency's responsibility

Automating these declarations via Shyfter eliminates errors and omissions. Each schedule confirmation generates the corresponding Dimona declarations.

Time tracking obligations

Time tracking is compulsory in hospitality (Joint Committee 302) via the registered cash register system or an approved alternative system. For Joint Committee 304, the time tracking obligation is linked to general working time monitoring rules.

In events, on-site time tracking poses a particular challenge: the venue changes with each event. There is no fixed cash register in the middle of a festival field. The solution: geolocated mobile time tracking via smartphone, which verifies the presence of each worker at the correct site.

Penalties for non-compliance

Social inspection checks are frequent in events, especially at festivals and large public events. Inspectors verify:

Dimona declarations (actual presence vs. registered declarations)
Employment contracts (existence, compliance with pay scales)
Compliance with rest periods between assignments
Night and weekend hours (correct premiums applied)
Student worker status (hours, age, certificate)

Penalties range from administrative fines (400 to 4,000 EUR per offence) to criminal prosecution for serious cases (undeclared work, repeated offences). Retroactive NSSO contribution regularisation can represent considerable amounts for companies with a high volume of casual workers.

Integrating compliance into scheduling

Compliance should not be an after-the-fact check. It must be integrated into the planning process. A tool like Shyfter enables you to:

Automatically apply the pay scales of the relevant Joint Committee
Calculate premiums based on planned schedules
Alert when a minimum rest period is not respected between two assignments
Track the hour counter for student workers
Generate Dimona declarations automatically
Export payroll data to the social secretariat

Compliance then becomes a natural by-product of good planning, not an additional administrative burden.

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FAQ

How do I know whether my company falls under Joint Committee 304 or 302?

The applicable joint committee depends on your main activity as registered with the NSSO. If your main activity is organising events, shows or technical performances, you fall under Joint Committee 304. If it is catering, food service or hospitality, it is Joint Committee 302. If in doubt, consult your social secretariat or check your NSSO classification. A reclassification can be requested if your activity has changed.

Can flexi-jobs be used under Joint Committee 304?

No. Flexi-job status is reserved for certain joint committees, including Joint Committee 302 (hospitality). Companies falling under Joint Committee 304 cannot engage flexi-job workers. They must use other flexible contract types: fixed-term contracts, temporary employment contracts or agency work. This distinction is important for calculating staff cost: flexi-jobs are highly tax-advantaged, and their absence under Joint Committee 304 increases the relative cost of casual workers.

What premiums apply for a Saturday evening event with overnight breakdown?

It depends on the applicable Joint Committee. Under Joint Committee 304, Saturday work does not automatically generate a premium (unless provided by a company agreement). Night work (after 8pm) entitles workers to a premium. Under Joint Committee 302, Saturday evenings do not generate a specific hospitality premium either, but work after midnight is subject to a premium. In both cases, overtime (beyond the maximum daily hours) is subject to a 50 or 100% premium. Shyfter automatically calculates premiums based on the Joint Committee and planned schedules.

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