General strike on 15 December (Belgium)

[BelgianMadCow]

Belgium’s three main trades unions are to stage a general strike on Monday 15 December. The unions have taken the decision to call on their members to strike as what they describe as “an act of resistance” against “a coalition agreement full of swinging cuts.”

The National Chairmen of the Christian Trades Union ACV, the Socialist Trades Union ABVV and the Liberal Trades Union ACLVB will and the Francophone deputy leaders of ACV and ABVV officially announced that a general strike is to be held on 15 December at a press conference held at 3pm on Wednesday afternoon.

Wednesday’s edition of the Francophone daily ‘La Libre’ reports at length on the unions’ action plans. These range from informing their members about national demonstrations to alternate strike.

The unions are angry at the measure outline in the new centre-right coalition agreement. They fear that the Michel government’s proposals “will leave the social security system without cash, cripple public services, destroy our purchasing power and moreover also cost jobs”.

From state broadcaster VRT.

We have a brand new neoliberal-in nationalist-disguise federal government, and the anger is rising. The "economy" (corporate profit) is "getting oxygen" (tax cuts) and that is paid for by wage earners (wage freeze, a one year non-indexation in effect), families and the middle class. Large capitals remain virtually untouched - we still have happy french billionaires in residence.

One sentence stood out to me in the coalition government plan: we now have a brand new National Security Council, and should it be necessaery, when the "threat level" goes up to three, the Army takes over police duties. Police that has been threatening to strike over pension entitlements, as well.

We're not being very complacent. I think we'll see some threat level jerks in the near future.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

1. “The comfort of the rich depends upon an abundant supply of the poor.” Voltaire