Socialist trade union puts pressure on Vooruit in final phase of coalition talks

After an all-night negotiating session that ended at 2.00, Belgium's coalition talks resumed at 9.00 on Thursday. Bert Engelaar, the new leader of socialist trade union ABVV and a member of Vooruit's party executive, has stepped up the pressure on the Flemish socialists, warning them of the risks involved in the ongoing talks.
"It seems that you have found yourselves on a slippery slope in these negotiations," Engelaar said in a Facebook post addressed to his party colleagues. "A path that does not lead to a fairer Belgium, but rather to government participation at all costs - and we all know who will pay this price: not the rich, not the CEOs, but the people who counted on you to defend their interests."
Speaking to De Standaard, Engelaar acknowledged that his comments could be divisive. "I would rather have a government with the socialists than without them, but if [party leader] Conner Rousseau cannot secure fundamental changes to the current proposals, he would be better off not joining this coalition. It must remain defensible."
Symbolic gestures
Engelaar also criticised the compromises made, particularly on economic and social policy. "Keeping the indexation system? Of course, thank you for not stabbing the working class and those on benefits in the back. An extra solidarity contribution? A good gesture, but it seems more symbolic than structural."
The proposed migration policy, which the coalition partners are finalising on Thursday, also remains a key concern. "Migration is not a bargaining chip," Engelaar said. "The left-wing voters did not ask for it. We did not ask for a lowest-common-denominator agreement with right-wing parties that see migration as the ultimate threat."
He concluded with a direct appeal to his party colleagues: "You can still turn back. You are trying so hard! You can still look in the mirror and say: we really do defend those who rely on us. But to do that, you have to draw a clear line."
#FlandersNewsService | Vooruit leader Conner Rousseau (C) leaves after a meeting to discuss a possible coalition for the federal government © BELGA PHOTO NICOLAS MAETERLINCK
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