Anderlecht (Brussels Morning Newspaper): Journalists’ revelations of fraud at Anderlecht’s CPAS led to calls for reform. Minister Lalieux pledges to recover funds amid staff shortages.
In November 2024, a report revealed serious issues at the Public Center for Social Welfare in Anderlecht, Belgium. Journalists posing as applicants managed to receive funds by providing fake addresses and stories, highlighting major flaws in the center’s verification process. The report also indicated that some individuals were exploiting fake addresses to scam the system. Social workers expressed that their heavy workloads and lack of support made it difficult to properly assess whether applicants were genuinely qualified for assistance. This resulted in incorrect payments and eroded public trust in the system.
How will Anderlecht address fraud at the Public Center for Social Welfare?
The report sparked anger and quick reactions. Bieke Comer, who handles finance in Anderlecht, called for a full check of the OCMW’s finances. The Brussels labor auditor and federal authorities also started investigating possible fraud. Karine Lalieux, the Minister for Social Integration, promised to recover any wrongly given money and improve monitoring. These findings sparked bigger discussions about how well Belgium’s social welfare system works, with critics saying it could affect trust in political and social institutions.
According to the unions, the problems at the Anderlecht OCMW are not new. They point out that social workers and admin staff have been overloaded for years, making it hard for them to do their jobs right. This has led to issues like losing experienced workers, poor management, burnout, and high turnover. On December 18, the unions gave management an emergency plan with 11 suggestions to ease the workload, but they haven’t received a response. As a result, staff will stop working all day on Tuesday and hold a meeting outside the town hall, while the residential care center staff will not join the strike. No other strike days are planned for now.
