Further budget cuts could make it increasingly difficult to pay pensions and benefits accurately and on time, trade unions and employers have warned the Federal Government.
According to De Morgen, the warning concerns not only reductions in social security spending but also cuts affecting the institutions that keep the social safety net functioning.
Because of a partial recruitment freeze for federal civil servants, some departments no longer have enough staff to cope with their workload.
As a result, processing pension and benefit files correctly and within the required time is becoming more difficult, the unions and employers’ organisations Unizo and the Federation of Enterprises in Belgium said.
Shortly before the summer recess, the social benefits network sent a letter to Prime Minister Bart De Wever raising the issue. They have reportedly not yet received a response.
