On Friday morning, several dozen activists from the Union FGTB staged a symbolic protest outside the headquarters of the MR and Les Engagés in Brussels, against the backdrop of the start of the new school year and the reforms being implemented by the governments of the Wallonia-Brussels Federation and the federal government.
According to the organisers of the demonstration, nearly 200 participants gathered to “denounce the social policy of the ‘Arizona’ federal government.” Divided into two groups of around a hundred people each, the activists presented the two French-speaking parties in the coalition with a “back-to-school report card” criticising wages, public services and end-of-career arrangements, awarding them a mark of zero in each subject.
The trade union criticises the wage freeze and calls for greater freedom to negotiate in sectors and companies with sufficient financial resources. “Promises 500 euros, delivers nothing,” read the report card displayed on Friday morning. It also condemns the weakening of public services, which it claims is resulting in staff cuts, longer waiting times and more difficult access to healthcare, transport, education, the justice system and social security.
The union is also calling for a more progressive tax system on income from work, assets and capital – which it estimates could raise €12.9 billion – and for a greater contribution from the wealthiest individuals and the most profitable companies.
