(2 June 2016) Belgian public service workers are making their mark these days. Our colleagues protest the impact of the austerity policies. Several days of actions have taken place and more are foreseen in the railway sector. Prison guards in several prisons have been on strike for several weeks now. All EPSU affiliates mobilized strongly for the national demonstration on 24 May. EPSU staff walked with the unions: we are also concerned by the government measures, which result in wage freezes and put into question the 38 hour working week. Such measures will allow more flexibility for the employers, at the expense of workers. At the same time, proposals for a fairer distribution of wealth do not progress. The public service unions of all three confederations demonstrated against the austerity policies of the government on 31 May. Their actions are part of a joint trade union front of the confederations (socialist, christian-democrat and liberal) that will culminate with a national strike on 7 October.
Recently I have been asked to explain Belgian politics by colleagues. They learn from the media that the positions of unions sometimes differ in different parts of the country. Although having lived here now for over 25 years, I am still learning. And I do not claim full knowledge.
Belgium is a Federal State. Some of the vault lines between the two states have a long history. Linguistic, cultural, social, industrial and economic factors play a role and go way back. A good history book will explain some of this complexity.
The current federal government is dominated by Flemish and Walloon liberal parties. The Walloon liberal party delivers the Prime Minister. The Flemish right-wing separatists are an important factor. The Flemish christen-democrats complete the picture. I would say that the Flemish Christian democrat party is dominated by the interests of business at the moment. The labour wing does exert some influence.
As Belgium is a Federal State, there is a government in the French and in the Flemish speaking states. The states have many competencies. The French speaking state government is a coalition of socialists and more left-leaning Christian democrats. The Flemish government is a combination of the Flemish separatists (the largest party), the Christian democrat party and the Flemish liberal party, the same parties as in the Federal government. The progressive forces (socialists, greens and others) are not strong in Flanders at the moment. They are strong in Wallonia but are not part of the Federal government. The current social unrest is further fueled by the leader of the Flemish seperatist party attacking the trade unions. He says that the socialist unions in the French-speaking part are the army of the socialist party. This is intentional. It helps his party argue that Belgium should be further split. And it is reciprocated. There is very limited support for the federal government in Wallonia. And this separatist party and the liberals push their ideological solutions, including the aim to limit the influence of the unions. The unions argue that much of the time the government will not negotiate. The only way to make the workers' voices heard is through industrial action.
Of course, this has an effect on the unions. Some federations have broken up into two different unions as Belgium developed into a Federal State. Others have a Walloon and a Flemish regional section plus a federal bureau. And to complicate matters further, Brussels is sometimes its own region, also with its own competencies and union structures. Unions have to influence these governments as they take decisions affecting workers. I find the developments in the UK, as powers of the different parts are gradually strengthened (Scotland, Wales, Northern-Ireland), or Spain (Catalonia, Basque region, Galicia and others) not dissimilar. Yet despite all of this, the unions are united in fighting the current policies of the Federal government, and have formulated a joint action platform.
There is more that unites workers across cultures, religions and borders than that which divides us. Belgian union colleagues have a deep understanding of this. To influence and change government policies we have to ensure that the voice of workers is heard, in the corridors of governments and on the streets.
The Federal structure can also lead to interesting results. The Walloon government has come out against CETA, the trade agreement between the EU and Canada. The rightwing majority will seek to ignore this. The Belgian unions and many social movement groups will organize a protest against CETA on Tuesday 20 September in Brussels. Trade unions will discuss our European mobilization against CETA in the ETUC Executive Committee. There is much to learn from our Belgian colleagues. We might be from different countries, but we are in the EU and Europe, we fight the same fight. Let us stop CETA together.
Belgium
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