At least 60,000 people demonstrated in Brussels against the austerity policy of the new Belgian government.
Ten days after its training, the Belgian government is already facing a wave of protest.
More than 60,000 people, according to the police, beat the pavement in Brussels on Thursday to face the right turn of the new government and defend public services.
In their viewfinder, a series of budget cuts announced by the government coalition nicknamed Arizona and led by the Flemish separatist Bart de Wever which touches in particular for pensions, unemployment and the financing of hospitals.
“It is really an attack on the purchasing power of pensioners because we will have to work longer to have a less important pension”, declares to Euronews Thierry Bodson, president of the General Federation of Labor of Belgium (FGTB).
“There must be rules that are adapted to the profession and the arduousness of the trades”, he adds.
Austerity policy
In 2025, the legal retirement age increased from 65 to 66 years and should increase to 67 years by 2030. The new executive wants to go further by attacking the preferential regimes of the military and railway workers.
Although it wants to increase military spending to 2 % of GDP by 2029, the government plans to postpone the retirement age for soldiers from 56 to 67 years old.
“We have a special calculation for our pensions, and now they want to withdraw it. The young people have joined the army to serve the army and serve the country under certain conditions. And now, during the game, they change these conditions”, David David, soldier, told Euronews.
While unemployment benefits are currently unlimited over time in Belgium, the executive wants to limit them to two years. The ban on Sunday work could be deleted and the schedule for the start of night work would be postponed.
The nursing staff are concerned that the reform of hospital financing does not impact the quality of care.
“It is not already going in rest houses. We are not replaced. There is only one caregiver for a whole floor”declares to Euronews Marguerite Ilboudo.
“With the budget cuts, it will be worse. We will not even be able to treat our elders. He still worked for that, so that we take care of them”, Add the 62-year-old caregiver.
Budgetary savings
The executive hopes to save 23 billion euros by 2029 via this budgetary screw. However, some demonstrators denounce an effort inequitably shared between workers, companies and the wealthy.
“We are really going towards precariousness, an impoverishment of the population. What was asked is that we rather try to find a better balance and also touch on people who win a little too much, with large shoulders as we call “, Regrets Justine Bolssens, lawyer in public services.
Public transport has been strongly disrupted and Belgian airspace was closed due to a strike by air controllers.
Clashes between the police and demonstrators briefly broke out on the sidelines of the procession in front of the seats of the engaged and the MR, two members of the government coalition.