One hundred thousand people demonstrated in the streets of Brussels yesterday, together with the Belgian unions of the BWI, ACV-BIE, and FGTB, to contest once again the Arizona government's measures mainly against pension reform, workers’ purchasing power, and people unable to work. BWI General Secretary Ambet Yuson, Assistant Secretary General Tos Añonuevo, and Regional Representative for Europe Genevieve Kalina joined the demonstration to show support and extend solidarity with their members following the demonstrations that have taken place in 2025.
 
Among the measures criticised by the Belgian unions is the introduction of the pension bonus-malus of the reform decided at the beginning of March. It states that a person who takes early retirement without having sufficient years of work will lose a percentage of the pension if 35 years of work were not completed with at least 156 days of actual work, and a total of 7,020 days of actual work over the entire career.
 
There is also a cap on wage indexation and benefits, including pensions, which represents an attack on workers’ purchasing power when unions demand an increase.
 
In addition, the government is demanding that people suffering from long-term illnesses be put back to work. A general practitioner may issue an initial disability certificate for only three weeks, and disability certificates may not exceed three months in the first year.
 
The unions are calling for a meeting with the government.
 
The demonstration significantly affected many sectors, including administration, airports, and public transport, except for trains.