Nearly 30,000 protesters took to the streets of Brussels to oppose the pension reform proposal.
Firefighters, teachers, civil servants… Nearly 30,000 people took to the streets in the Belgian capital this Monday in response to the calls of the unions. common front against a reform project between pension.
HE possible coalition government (known as the Arizona coalition) consists of five parties (N-VA, Flemish nationalist; Vooruit, social democrat; CD&V, Flemish Christian democrat; MR, centre-right; and Engagés, liberal). Although the group has put a reform project on the table, it has yet to form an Executive, seven months after the parliamentary elections. pension.
special regimes
This may affect: special regimes allowing people to retire earlier railway, police and military. “In the case of civil servants and civil service workers, there are what are known as preferential regimes, which are in danger of extinction, meaning that they will have to work much longer to get the same rights,” he explains to Euronews. Thierry Bodson, President of the Belgian General Federation of Labor (FGTB).
“We also see that the great Progress of the last governmentThere will be an improvement in both the access to the minimum pension and the amount of the minimum pension. it’s all about“So if the measures are approved, working women in particular will lose a lot.”, he added.
65 to 66 years old
Legal retirement age passed in Belgium 65 to 66 years old Starting from January 1, 2025, 67 in 2030. With the aging of the population, pensions are placing an increasing burden on the state budget: 63 billion euros per year.
Then, Arizona coalition wants to save 3 billion euro per year. Marie-Hélène Ska, General Secretary of the Confederation of Christian Trade Unions, said: ‘There are many ways to save money and transfer money to the safe, and these ways do not always come from the same people. “Especially in the business world,” he said. ‘.(CSC).
“I would like to remind you that in Belgium, on January 1, 2025, the retirement age increased from 65 to 66, which is required today. 45 year career retire with full board and it becomes really difficult to go further,” he adds.
HE air and rail transportation Trains connecting major cities were severely disrupted, with two-thirds paralyzed.
Planes were grounded at Charleroi Airport as of noon on Monday. In his name, Brussels airport I predicted this Almost 40% of flights They would not be operated on. Since 2018, the law requires transportation services to be kept to a minimum in the event of a strike.
situation in europe
Legal retirement age varies from one Member State to another. In Poland, this age is 60 for women, and in Germany, Denmark, Italy and the Netherlands it is 67. The legal retirement age in France increased from 62 to 64 in 2023.
Pension issue was discussed stand out in public debates In recent months, the Council of the European Union has recommended that member states reform their pension systems to reduce public debt, at a time when parts of the left have been pleading with the Government to suspend the 2023 reform.
