Trade unions threaten a general strike on 9 November

The Belgian trade unions are threatening a general strike on 9 November if "solutions to the purchasing power crisis are not found quickly". This was announced by ACV chairman Marc Leemans. He is counting on solutions being found during consultations with employers and governments Wednesday.

The trade unions want solutions for the purchasing power crisis that is becoming untenable for many people. The employers' organisations had consultations with the federal and regional governments on Monday, the trade unions will be consulted on Wednesday.

ACV spokesman David Vanbellinghen specifies that the strike threat comes from the general trade union front, including ABVV and ACLVB. "People are scared, they are worried, so something has to be done," says the spokesman. "And it will have to happen quickly, because the bills have to be paid."

On 21 September, there is already a warning action on the Place du Monnaie in Brussels about the purchasing power of the trade unions. With this action, they want to demand an indicative wage margin and the preservation of the automatic indexation of wages and benefits, according to a pamphlet from the ABVV.

© BELGA PHOTO ERIC LALMAND - Pickets line at the entrance of the industrial park Genk Zuid, with steel production plant Aperam, part of a national general strike, Wednesday 13 February 2019, in Brussels. Belgian trade unions had called a national strike on 13 February after disagreement on a framework wage agreement for the next two years.