French-speaking and Dutch-speaking unions, federations, and arts workers will join a national mobilisation on 14 October to protest the Federal Government’s pension reform.
Artists specifically oppose a measure that caps the recognition of their employment status to just 20% of their career when calculating pensions.
For a 45-year career, this would mean only nine years under the artist status would count.
Representatives warn this limitation could result in financial losses ranging from €400 to €1,600 per month, leaving many artists vulnerable to poverty in retirement.
Arts workers compare their social status to groups like dockers or North Sea fishermen, highlighting its necessity for their precarious profession.
Their work involves short contracts, unpredictable incomes, and unpaid "invisible" work such as creating, researching, and developing projects.
This social status, which artists contribute to through social security, supports unemployment and pension schemes within the general system.
Representatives emphasise that arts work allowances are not unemployment benefits but a recognition of the unpaid labour vital to artistic creation.
The unions and federations call on the Arizona government to preserve the current social status and ensure artists can retire with dignity after dedicating their careers to serving the public.
