Another protest against unemployment reforms took place in Brussels on Tuesday. Civil society and trade unions are calling on the Arizona Government to drop plans to limit unemployment benefits to two years.
Around 110 people joined a procession co-organised by the Human Rights League through Ixelles and Etterbeek on Tuesday morning. The group banged drums, blew on whistles and chanted "Down with Arizona" and other slogans through megaphones.
The protest called on Prime Minister Bart De Wever's government to drop its unemployment reforms, which involve capping benefits to two years for unemployed people under 55. Around 180,000 people will be impacted by the reform.
'Arizona is severely harming workers, the unemployed, the poor, the sick, CPAS, public services, social security ...' Credit: The Brussels Times
Ann (62) took part in the protest as she will lose her unemployment benefits next year. Over-55s are exempt from the cuts but only if they have worked at least 156 days per year for 30 years.
Ann describes her situation as "unusual". Formerly a social worker, she founded a not-for-profit daycare centre 15 years ago. When the organisation lost its federal subsidies, she decided to claim unemployment benefits and receive an additional small payment for her childcare work through the Local Employment Agency (ALE).
The childcare centre has since closed and Ann relies solely on unemployment benefits, which she will lose from next year despite being over 55. This is because the reform does not take her worked hours into account, which will also reduce the pension she is entitled to.
"We were very careful about staying above board, but it's a legal hodgepodge here," Ann told The Brussels Times. "It is as though all those hours don't exist. What's worse is that all the hours I worked won't count towards my pension either."
"It's as if I'd done nothing; it's as if I hadn't helped an incredible number of parents who were able to go to work, have a normal schedule and, above all, a normal salary; it's as if I didn't exist."
'It's a scandal'
Ann has begun looking for work but neither she nor prospective employers see the value in beginning a new role several years before retirement.
"It's a scandal," she says. "And there are worse cases than mine."
The same reforms – part of the Easter Agreement, Arizona's first major legislative package – also target long-term sick people as a way to cut social spending and divert public money elsewhere.
Roughly 500,000 people are on long-term sick leave in Belgium – 1.5 times more than the number of unemployed people. Tighter rules such as monitoring doctors who administer "too many" sick notes and penalising people who fail to show up to appointments aim to reduce this number.
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Doctors have pointed out that such an approach "stigmatises" sick people and healthcare professionals whose primary role is to act as a caregiver.
The reforms "blame either the patient or the doctor, when in fact every situation is extremely complex," President of the Belgian Association of General Practitioners (GBO) Lawrence Cuvelier told The Brussels Times in April. "This is a breach in Belgium's strong system of solidarity."
The first wave of cuts will impact 115,000 people between January and April next year. 60,000 more people will be cut off from July. The final figure will rise to 180,000 in 2026 according to Labour and Economy Minister David Clarinval (MR).
