Yes indeed.
Belgian workers reject Arizona’s austerity in three-day strike wave
Workers across Belgium are wrapping up a three-day strike wave opposing the government’s austerity plans, including salary freezes.
Wednesday, November 26, marks the final day of a nationwide wave of strikes and protests against the anti-social policies of Belgium’s so-called Arizona government. Workers in transport and public services, joined by thousands across other sectors, remain outraged by Prime Minister Bart De Wever’s agenda, which includes attacks on pensions, wages, and public services, all while increasing spending on militarization.
Picket lines sprang up across the country, with workers rejecting the government’s plans. Reporting from the strike at the port of Antwerp, Workers’ Party of Belgium (PTB-PVDA) General Secretary Peter Mertens wrote: “Workers are furious that the government is coming for their pensions, trying to steal their wage indexation and, on top of that, wants to raise taxes on gas and fuel. ‘No way,’ they’re saying here.”
This week’s strike wave, launched Monday and preceded by a day of action against gender-based violence, builds on previous mobilization. In October, around 140,000 people marched in Brussels to oppose Arizona’s plans. Despite record turnout, De Wever’s administration failed to take the workers’ grievances seriously. “This contempt and lack of respect are unacceptable,” the trade union confederation FGTB-ABVV wrote in its call for the strike. “Today, a historic wave is sweeping across the arid desert landscape of Arizona – a movement calling for a society based on solidarity, equity, and justice.”
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