No recruiting has been possible in fire departments since January 1st, because the royal decree establishing how firefighters are trained has been mothballed, according to Monday’s edition of L’Avenir. “Every aspect of the recruitment process is blocked: medical and physical evaluations, training, promotions. We are finding recruiting impossible everywhere,” accuses Marc Gilbert, French-speaking president of the Royal federation of firemen corps in Belgium.
There was an agreement in place between the federal inspectorate of finances and everyone concerned (regions, unions, etc.). “Yet everything was compromised,” says Mr. Gilbert, who accuses Jan Jambon (N-VA), the Home Secretary. “He is a one-man disaster. We are never consulted. I have never had to deal with a Home Secretary such as this one…”
Mr. Jambon’s office says loopholes in the royal decree itself are blocking its implementation.
(Source: Belga)
