On Tuesday, between 40,000 and 70,000 people marched through the streets of the Belgian capital to protest against austerity measures and budget cuts.
For the tenth time since 2025, tens of thousands of people took to the streets of Brussels to protest against austerity measures and budget cuts imposed by the federal government, measures that trade unions consider “anti-social.” This nationwide demonstration is part of a trade union campaign that workers’ representatives have been waging for the past year and a half against the ruling coalition government headed by Prime Minister Bart De Wever (N-VA).
According to trade union figures, some 70,000 people took part in the march, meanwhile police figures put the number at 40,000. The latest nationwide demonstration, held on 12 March, drew between 80,000 and 100,000 people to Brussels.
The march was organised by Belgium’s three main trade unions: ACV/CSC, ABVV/FGTB and ACLVB/CGSLB. Numerous sectoral branches took part in the action, including trade unions representing public transport workers, security staff and airport ground handling staff, as well as employees of public administrations, prisons and the education sector.
The main issues and demands of the demonstration were pensions, purchasing power and automatic wage indexation. The trade unions criticised the pension reform, which worsens workers’ conditions, as well as the attempt to abolish automatic wage indexation. Some of the protesters emphasised that the federal government must focus on the wealthiest in its efforts to balance Belgium’s budget, as life in Belgium is becoming increasingly difficult.
“Life is being made increasingly difficult: we have to work longer for a smaller pension. Paid work is seemingly the only thing that counts. This way, it only gets harder for people to look after themselves. They are pitted against each other, and we lose our community,” said one of the protesters, Renie Cocquyt of the Hart boven Hard citizens’ movement, in an interview with The Brussels Times.
Before the march began, trade union leaders addressed the crowd, focusing on criticising the federal government’s “disregard” for social dialogue. It was previously estimated that around €5 billion would be needed by the end of 2029 to stabilise the country’s economy, but it was announced this week that the figure would be closer to €7 billion. Trade unions and citizens are deeply concerned that the most vulnerable sections of the population will once again have to foot the bill for the additional two billion euros. Speaking on Sunday on the public broadcaster VRT, Federal Budget Minister Vincent van Peteghem (CD&V) linked the changes to the ongoing war in Iran.
“You can’t just reform on the basis of budget tables. There are people behind those figures. We want to give those people a voice through social consultation,” ACLVB chair Gert Truyens said.
Protesters have also spoken out against the government’s decision to cap unemployment benefits, implement tough reforms to social welfare centres (CPAS/OCMW) and reduce a significant portion of funding for homeless support.
“We are deeply concerned about these decisions, which primarily affect or have affected people on low incomes and those living in poverty. Poverty itself entails high costs, not only for the people in the precarious situations themselves, but also for society as a whole,” said BAPN’s Caroline Van der Hoeven. “Poverty is very expensive in the long term, and, regrettably, the government is thinking in the short term, and failing to take sufficient account of signals from the field or scientific research,” she added.
In addition, the problem of financial inequality also came to the fore during the march, with the Belgian NGO Oxfam setting up a stand featuring an inflatable aeroplane with the slogan “Tax the rich.” Oxfam Belgium expert Sarah Van Acker claimed there is an “accumulation of wealth among a small group of people in Belgium,” while “the rest of us today have to fight for the few rights we still have.”
Though not the largest protest in the country, turnout was still very high, yet it proceeded largely peacefully and without any serious incidents. Public transport across the country was operating on a reduced service, with Charleroi Airport cancelling all flights scheduled for that day. The police stated that only one person was arrested and questioned.
