Members of Vooruit gathered at a congress in Sint-Niklaas (East Flanders) to approve the participation of the Flemish Socialist Party in the federal government on Saturday evening.
A total of 88% of attendees at the venue voted in favour, while 85% of online members also gave their approval. Vooruit is the first of five Arizona parties to hold its participation congress.
Party President Conner Rousseau assured members of the significant contributions made by his team during negotiations, noting that Vooruit is the only left-wing party in the new coalition. “I believe we have outperformed our expectations and achieved more than what could be expected mathematically.” He cited socio-economic measures as an example, asserting, “We are moving towards the highest minimum wage in Europe, and meal vouchers will increase by two euros. Small changes can add up to significant improvements.”
Rousseau acknowledged aspects of the agreement that may not align with socialist ideals. “There were proposals for increased flexibility in Sunday or holiday work, which we successfully removed. However, night work has been relaxed, and I personally struggle with that,” he admitted. “Even when we lose, we strive to maintain a safety net. The relaxation includes maintaining purchasing power.”
A question-and-answer session was also held, in which many union members voiced their concerns, especially regarding its pension provisions. Rousseau admitted that pensions for teachers and civil servants "will be slightly less favourable than before" but insisted that it was the best deal the party could get. "We aimed to make the pension reform as social as possible. Without us, it would have been much worse."
And the francophone socialists?
The Socialist Party (PS) – Vooruit's francophone sister party – was generally supportive of Vooruit in protecting social spending as best it could. In an interview with Belga News Agency on Saturday evening, PS President Paul Magnette said that "While Vooruit managed to mitigate some damage, we have a government that is 90% right-wing, and it is the middle class who will bear the cost."
He was especially critical of his francophone colleagues MR and Les Engagés, saying they "have in no way defended the interests of French speakers" but instead capitulated to De Wever's right-wing N-VA.
He added that the policies that the governing parties have signed up to must now be analysed and costed: "Our task is now to dissect the measures of this government because we don't yet have the figures but we need to see what lies behind the words. We will demonstrate that there are alternatives; there are other ways than making the middle class pay," concluded the PS President.
PS chairman Paul Magnette and Vooruit chairman Conner Rousseau pose at the new year's reception of Flemish socialist party Vooruit, January 2023. Credit: Belga
