Brussels – In just over a year of Bart De Wever‘s government, Belgium has already taken to the streets dozens of times and paralysed the country several times with general and national strikes. Today (12 March) was another day of a general strike, with a national demonstration called by the three main Belgian trade unions (FGTB-ABVV, CSC-ACV and CGSLB-ACLVB), which have been fighting for months against policies that, in their view, weaken workers’ rights. The focus is on the fight against measures taken by the federal government led by the leader of the Flemish right-wing party N-VA (New Flemish Alliance), Bart De Wever, including changes to the wage indexation system, greater labour flexibility, and new pension rules. According to police data, around 80,000 people took part in the march in Brussels, while the unions estimate that more than 100,000 people attended, making it one of the largest demonstrations in Belgium in recent years.
Since the government took office in February 2025, trade unions have already organised numerous strikes and demonstrations in response to the new government’s economic and labour policies. With the government newly installed, they called a general strike on 31 March last year, followed by a day of national mobilisation on 29 April. Particularly significant were the three days of national strikes on 24, 25 and 26 November last year, which paralysed transport and public services across much of the country. “The autumn of 2025 was a heated period. The three trade unions, together with civil society as a whole, gathered 140,000 people in Brussels for a historic demonstration in October. November was marked by an equally historic four-day strike and action, also led by a united trade union front,” reads a press release.
The reasons for the mobilisation lie in dissatisfaction with the austerity policies and structural reforms of the De Wever government. As reported by La Libre, the trade unions describe these measures as “unfair and inhumane,” arguing that they selectively target workers and the most vulnerable segments of society. One of the central points of the protest concerns purchasing power. In an inflationary growth context, the trade unions complain that wages are not keeping pace. The main point of contention is the freezing of wage indexation: tampering with this mechanism of automatic adjustment of wages to the cost of living is considered by trade union leaders, such as the president of the Belgian General Labour Federation, Bert Engelaar, to be a real “attack on the dignity” of workers, as reported by Le Soir. In addition, pension reform is another major area of conflict. Protesters oppose the introduction of the so-called “malus pension”, a mechanism that would penalise those who leave work before the scheduled date. Finally, in addition to social security, the unions are contesting the government’s direction on labour flexibility. Under fire are the relaxation of rules on night work and overtime, which, according to claims, will result in lower pay and lead employees to work themselves to exhaustion.
English version by the Translation Service of Withub
