(c) Frédéric Garçon/ Euronews
Trade unions oppose the planned changes, which could lead to a reduction in pension payments and complicate retirement conditions. The main demand is the abolition of the so-called “pension bonus/malus” and the provision of a decent standard of living for pensioners, The Brussels Times writes.
The next demand is the protection of purchasing power. In the context of rising prices (especially for energy), activists demand the preservation of the system of automatic indexation of wages and benefits in full, which the government, according to the unions, is trying to limit.
The protesters denounce socio-economic reforms aimed at cutting social spending and changing labor laws, which they say are leading to increased insecurity and worsening working conditions in the public and private sectors.
The unions are also calling on the government to seek budget revenues not through cuts to social programs, but through the introduction of a “tax on large fortunes” and fair taxation of digital giants.
Separate grievances are being voiced over legislative initiatives that could restrict the right of unions to strike and demonstrate peacefully. Tomorrow’s action is part of a larger action plan that has been in the works for about a year and a half and is aimed at forcing the Barth De Wever government to rethink its current course.
