Bad weather, heavy traffic, a train strike or you've simply overslept. These are all the reasons employees give when they are late for work. The key question is, according to the letter of the law, what are the valid reasons for latecomers keeping their full wage or avoiding other sanctions?

These days, almost everything in the relationship between employer and employee is labelled as wages, with all the consequences in terms of social security and taxation. A bonus via CLA 90 is an exception in this regard, as it is a legal system for employees, whereby only a personal social security contribution is withheld that is not subject to withholding tax on wages. It goes without saying that workers and trade unions are advocates for such a system.

The King can relinquish his claim to the throne. But can his subjects also waive their rights as employees vis-à-vis their employer? Could employees waive, for example, their rights to wages, a thirteenth-month bonus, bank holiday pay, holiday money, severance pay ... if they did not wish to receive this?