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Socialists and greens stand “shoulder to shoulder” with unions

11:26 06/11/2014

Flemish Socialist party SP.A is standing “shoulder to shoulder” with the protesters who are marching through Brussels today, said party president Bruno Tobback. The protestors – who have come from all over Belgium to demonstrate in the capital – are upset at tough austerity measures introduced by the new federal and Flemish governments, which Tobback described as “unfair and misguided”.

The socialists argue that the wage and benefit cuts will lead to a drop in spending power, which will have a negative impact on economic growth. In addition, these measures are unfair in targeting workers while not affecting people whose income is generated by property assets.

“It is precisely those people who earn their income by getting out of bed in the morning and going to work who have found themselves under increasing pressure over the past few years,” Tobback said.

Environmental parties from both sides of the language border, Ecolo and Groen, have also come out on the streets this morning in support of the demonstrators. “These governments are trade unions for the rich,” said Groen party president Wouter Van Besien.

In related news, rail authority NMBS has come under fire for selling some 60,000 reduced-price tickets to demonstrators who took trains into Brussels this morning. They were sold to protestors as “special event” tickets.

The number of protestors in the streets of Brussels today was initially estimated at 60,000, but the number has risen considerably during the course of the morning. “We have twice the number of people that we expected to sign up,” a union source said. “We are heading for 100,000.”

Not everyone supports the strike action. Luc Coene, governor of the National Bank, wrote in Trends magazine that “the people who go on strike against the austerity measures are saying to their children: ‘You can clean up the mess’.”

Police have urged commuters not to drive into Brussels today as traffic is expected to be severely disrupted by the protest. Staff of Brussels transport authority MIVB also warned that services, including buses, trams and metro, would be largely at a standstill.

 

photo: A view of today’s massive union protest action in Brussels

©Laurie Dieffembacq/BELGA

 

Written by Derek Blyth