Belgium (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – On January 13, 2025, major strikes were called by unions in response to the government’s pension reforms across Belgium affecting public transport, waste, prison and education services.
The riots are mainly due to fears that the new ruling coalition that had emerged from Bart De Wever will reduce pension benefits, delay payments, and increase the retirement age. The thousands of union members that took to the streets in Brussels included more than 25,000 protesters, most of whom are teachers, in order to draw attention to the importance of teachers’ pensions to their current pay scales.
Belgian unions went on heavy strikes on January 13, 2025, over pension reforms that were to be implemented by the new government. The strikes affected public transport, education, and waste disposal services, with well over a quarter of the protesting crowd from the education sector fearing downward changes in pensions and worse working conditions. It is important to note that the strikes manifested themselves most significantly in the education sector, where teachers regard their pension as maybe the most important fringe benefit, which offsets their comparatively low wages. Criticising the planned changes, unions said that some teachers would be worse off by up to €900 a month in pensions. The protests were particularly striking as they targeted measures that had not yet been finalised; Les Engagés leader Maxime Prévot criticised the timing of the strikes as “premature” and acknowledged that the proposed pension plans would likely provoke significant backlash. Employers’ organization VOKA also criticized the strikes as irresponsible, saying that they cause havoc and hurt the economy.
The distribution of these strikes has been massive. Schools in many parts of Belgium needed closures or severe staff shortages, and waste collection services were delayed. Public transport was also a severe victim; about forty per cent of the flights at Brussels Airport were halted because of strikes by security personnel and baggage handlers. Some have closed operations altogether, while others have cut their passenger services by much as SNCB, which was operating only one in three of the most popular train lines. This meant that many demonstrators faced delays and missed the beginning of the protest march scheduled to start at 10:00 AM at Place de l’Albertine.
Context of pension reforms and Union response
The current conflict is due to the ongoing discussions over changes in the pension system in the context of Belgian politics. The government face more pressure from the public dissatisfaction that arises in connection with proposed changes that may threaten the retirement benefits of many workers in different fields. Employees’ unions have been particularly emphatic about their fears concerning possible reductions of pension and alteration of retirement age policies. While elections were held only six months back, the likelihood of the centre-right coalition of Bart De Wever has raised various issues, more specifically, labour conditions being a major concern among workers.
The role of the education sect in these protests is particularly alarming; teachers depend on pension benefits for their compensation packages since there are relatively few fringe benefits offered to them. As political debates over pension changes are being held, the unions demand changes that would provide equal treatment for all employees in a pre-retirement age. More so, the strikes can be related to larger concerns in society with regard to economic instabilities, such as workers in Belgium. Where they carry a significant part of the workforce out on strike against what is recognised as injurious reforms, this move brings to bear a key moment of Belgian labour relations.
The decisions made from these discussions are not just extending the company’s current employees’ opportunities but would determine changes in the labour rights and retirement plan provisions for future Belgians.
