BELGIUM: Second nationwide strike in less than a month expected to bring Country to a halt as workers down tools over goverment plans to raise retirement age

Record ID: 341567

  • Title: BELGIUM: Second nationwide strike in less than a month expected to bring Country to a halt as workers down tools over goverment plans to raise retirement age
  • Date: 28th October 2005
  • Summary: (W2) BRUSSELS, BELGIUM (OCTOBER 28, 2005) ( REUTERS) (NIGHT SHOTS) TRAM STATION STRIKER PUTTING FLAG ON THE RAIL CLOSE UP: SIGN OF TRAM TRAM STOPPED IN THE STATION STRIKER PUTTING PLASTIC BAGS ON TRAM, IN THE COLORS OF THE THREE MAIN TRADE UNIONS WIDE OF TRAMS STATION (SOUNDBITE) (French) STRIKING TRAM CONDUCTOR, ANDRE HULIN SAYING: "The strike follows the negotiations
  • Embargoed: 12th November 2005 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Belgium
  • Country: Belgium
  • Topics: Domestic Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA695U18203I05LHWHXKICRAQF5
  • Story Text: Belgium was on Friday (October 28) bracing itself for a second nationwide strike in less than a month.
    As workers prepared to down tools and march on the capital to protest against government plans
    to raise the early retirement age, public transport had already closed down in the Brussels.
    Tram conductor, Andre Hulin said the proposals were unfair and would not help bring down youth unemployment.
    "To be forced to continue to work for example to conduct a tramway 25, 30, 35 years, and even to 37 or 38
    years, it seems to us inaccessible. Especially because on the other hand we saw the problem of youth (unemployment).
    It won't be resolved by extending work time of the elders."
    The one-day action, which threatens to be the biggest the country has seen in more than a decade, was expected to
    grind production lines to a halt, suspend public transport, force airlines to cancel flights, and close stores and schools.
    Workers from across Belgium were due to march through Brussels to demonstrate against the contentious reforms,
    which would raise the early retirement age to 60 from 58 years.
    Police were putting increased security measures in place, erecting barriacdes and barbed wire outside the
    Ministry of Employment and Work.
    Belgium, which has one of the lowest employment rates in the EU, especially among older people, is facing a
    pensions timebomb as a wave of children born after World War Two begin to retire, straining social security budgets.
    The unions, whose members number in the millions, say the reforms would prevent the young and unemployment from
    finding work by keeping older workers in their jobs for longer.
    Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt has vowed not to bow to union pressure to re-open talks on the proposals, which
    broke down earlier this month. Verhofstadt says he is obliged to put in place measures to help Belgium achieve
    the goals of the European Union's Lisbon Agenda, to create jobs and boost economic growth in order to make Europe the
    world's most dynamic economy by 2010.
    For the government, the easiest solution is to keep people working longer and contributing to the social
    security budget which otherwise risks becoming overstretched by as early as 2010.
    The strike will come a day after EU leaders hold an informal summit in London to debate how to adapt their
    social systems to the challenge of globalisation.
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