A coalition of unions representing domestic cleaners staged a protest outside the Brussels Parliament on Rue du Lombard on Wednesday morning, demanding equal pay with their counterparts in Wallonia and Flanders.
The unions pointed out that in July, an agreement was reached in Wallonia and Flanders to raise domestic workers’ wages by €0.77 per hour.
However, this raise excluded Brussels-based cleaners, leading to widespread dissatisfaction.
To address what the unions call "regional discrimination", caretaker Minister of Employment Bernard Clerfayt (Défi) proposed a plan in September to allocate additional funding to companies employing domestic cleaners. The unions argue that Clerfayt’s proposal is more than sufficient to cover the requested wage increase.
Organised by a union front, including ACV, ABVV-FGTB, and ACLVB-CGSLB, the demonstration also sought to pressure Federgon, the employers’ federation for service voucher companies, to accept the plan.
However, the unions criticised Federgon for demanding even greater funding. "For Brussels employers, it’s never enough. For their shareholders, it’s never enough," the unions stated during the protest.
'Blatant discrimination'
The unions believe Federgon must be more accommodating. "Without Federgon’s agreement, this is essentially a blank cheque for employers, offering no guarantees that the additional funds will be used to increase wages," they said.
The protest coincided with a Brussels Parliament Labour Committee meeting, which had been cancelled the night before. Despite this, the unions decided to proceed with the action, stating that domestic workers wanted their voices heard.
"This is blatant discrimination. Domestic cleaners in Brussels deserve the same treatment as those in Wallonia and Flanders," said ABVV representative Abdel Slimani. "The work they do deserves respect – far more respect than they’re currently receiving."
The unions called on Brussels parliamentarians to amend the proposed measures to ensure additional funds directly lead to wage increases, demanding "iron-clad guarantees" to prevent misuse of the money by companies.
