diff --git a/bundles/org.eclipse.rap.nebula.widgets.grid/src/org/eclipse/nebula/widgets/grid/internal/gridcolumnkit/GridColumnLCA.java b/bundles/org.eclipse.rap.nebula.widgets.grid/src/org/eclipse/nebula/widgets/grid/internal/gridcolumnkit/GridColumnLCA.java
index fa5fa7b..d2cfec2 100644
--- a/bundles/org.eclipse.rap.nebula.widgets.grid/src/org/eclipse/nebula/widgets/grid/internal/gridcolumnkit/GridColumnLCA.java
+++ b/bundles/org.eclipse.rap.nebula.widgets.grid/src/org/eclipse/nebula/widgets/grid/internal/gridcolumnkit/GridColumnLCA.java
@@ -111,7 +111,7 @@
     WidgetLCAUtil.renderToolTip( column, column.getHeaderTooltip() );
     WidgetLCAUtil.renderCustomVariant( column );
     ItemLCAUtil.renderChanges( column );
-    renderProperty( column, PROP_INDEX, getIndex( column ), ZERO );
+    renderProperty( column, PROP_INDEX, getIndex( column ), -1 );
     renderProperty( column, PROP_LEFT, getLeft( column ), ZERO );
     renderProperty( column, PROP_WIDTH, column.getWidth(), ZERO );
     renderProperty( column, PROP_ALIGNMENT, getAlignment( column ), DEFAULT_ALIGNMENT );
diff --git a/tests/org.eclipse.rap.nebula.widgets.grid.test/src/org/eclipse/nebula/widgets/grid/internal/gridcolumnkit/GridColumnLCA_Test.java b/tests/org.eclipse.rap.nebula.widgets.grid.test/src/org/eclipse/nebula/widgets/grid/internal/gridcolumnkit/GridColumnLCA_Test.java
index 16408b7..8e51a68 100644
--- a/tests/org.eclipse.rap.nebula.widgets.grid.test/src/org/eclipse/nebula/widgets/grid/internal/gridcolumnkit/GridColumnLCA_Test.java
+++ b/tests/org.eclipse.rap.nebula.widgets.grid.test/src/org/eclipse/nebula/widgets/grid/internal/gridcolumnkit/GridColumnLCA_Test.java
@@ -255,8 +255,7 @@
     lca.render( column );
 
     Message message = Fixture.getProtocolMessage();
-    CreateOperation operation = message.findCreateOperation( column );
-    assertTrue( operation.getPropertyNames().indexOf( "index" ) == -1 );
+    assertEquals( 0, message.findCreateProperty( column, "index" ).asInt() );
   }
 
   public void testRenderIndex() throws IOException {