More than 60,000 unionised workers marched on 24 May in protest against proposed labour-market reforms including longer hours and a higher retirement age, snarling up traffic in a large part of Brussels. The march was followed by a large demonstration on 31 May and strikes by public-sector employees, with train and bus services disrupted along with schools, prisons and mail delivery as workers protested against the government's social and economic policies. The three main trade union confederations oppose proposals that would allow employers to impose a working week of up to 45 hours when required, followed by shorter weeks to retain a 38-hour weekly average. The protests are the first in a series of actions planned for the coming months, including a strike on 24 June and a day of national demonstrations on 7 October.
English: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/ap/article-3617407/Public-sector-workers-strike …
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-belgium-protests …
For more information, please contact the editor Jan Cremers, Amsterdam Institute for Advanced Labour Studies (AIAS) cbn-aias@uva.nl or the communications officer at the ETUI, Willy De Backer wdebacker@etui.org. For previous issues of the Collective bargaining newsletter please visit http://www.etui.org/E-Newsletters/Collective-bargaining-newsletter. Since June 2013 readers can consult our archive and search through all articles in our database at www.cbnarchive.eu. You may find further information on the ETUI at www.etui.org, and on the AIAS at www.uva-aias.net.
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