About 80,000 at trade union demonstration in Brussels according to police
Around 80,000 people took part in a national union demonstration in Brussels on Thursday, according to police figures, making it one of the largest protests in Belgium in recent years.
The march ended peacefully in the early afternoon, with the final participants arriving at Brussels-South railway station at around 2 p.m. Police said the turnout matched the roughly 80,000 participants who joined a major demonstration on 14 October last year.
Unlike that earlier protest, the march passed without major incidents. Police briefly intervened near the Wetstraat, but calm was quickly restored.
The protesters walked past the headquarters of the ruling Reformist Movement (MR), a location where earlier demonstrations had seen clashes with police. This time, there were no confrontations, although demonstrators booed both the party and the police officers present.
Disruption to services
According to Net Brussel, only 39 per cent of waste collection rounds were completed during the day due to the protest.
Neighbourhoods such as Forest, Anderlecht, Ixelles and Saint-Gilles were particularly affected, with 80 to 95 per cent of some rubbish collections cancelled. Recycling centres in the city were also closed.
The waste agency asked residents not to bring uncollected bags back inside, saying catch-up collections would begin as staff become available.
Unions call on government to reconsider reforms
Union leaders said the demonstration reflected widespread opposition to the policies of the federal government led by Prime Minister Bart De Wever.
Bert Engelaar, chairman of the ABVV-FGTB trade union, estimated the turnout at around 100,000 people and urged the government to reopen talks.
“These people deserve to sit down with the Group of Ten and the government. They deserve it,” Engelaar said, criticising what he described as a lack of dialogue with unions.
“We’ll keep trying and reaching out to the government. Yesterday, we sent another letter to De Wever together with the unions, but he’s also remained silent. Yet we have clear, workable alternatives to De Wever’s cuts.”
The unions oppose several government measures, including changes to the wage indexation system, greater labour flexibility and new pension rules. They argue the reforms will harm workers and weaken social protections.
Pension remarks fuel anger
Tensions have also increased following comments by pensions minister Jan Jambon, who said women “will have to change their behaviour” by working more.
Union leaders say the remarks angered many demonstrators, particularly as women already fear being disproportionately affected by pension reforms due to more frequent part-time work.
Engelaar even suggested the comments had helped mobilise more people for the protest. “Thanks to his remarks about women, an even larger crowd was mobilised today,” he said.
Trade union members and supporters take part in a national demonstration in Brussels organised by the unions ABVV-FGTB, ACV-CSC and ACLVB-CGSLB on 12 March, 2026 © PHOTO WERNER LEROOY
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