Police will strike next Tuesday, following yesterday’s action

Unions representing police officers are planning a national strike on next Tuesday, 23 September. The announcement came after a major demonstration in Brussels yesterday in which about 14,000 marchers took part.

The unions are demanding confirmation from the new federal government coalition that pension arrangements agreed at the time of the reform of the police services in 2000-2001 will be maintained. Those negotiations, which reformed the gendarmerie, judicial police and local police into one federal force, were carried out by eight political parties – the so-called Octopus agreements – including those now negotiating to form the next federal government.

However, a recent ruling by the Constitutional Court on early retirement provisions for police officers threatens to strike down those agreements. “The rules were confirmed in 2008 and 2009, but people seem now to be suffering from amnesia,” said ACV representative Jan Adam, speaking to the throng in the Jubel Park yesterday. “We feel betrayed.”

The government negotiators now have until Tuesday to offer “a strong signal” of support for the unions’ case. “Agreements have to be respected,” said NSPV leader Gert Cockx. “We will hold a day of action on 23 September, and other actions will follow.”

The march through Brussels caused some traffic disruption. The demonstrators were received by Alexander De Croo, outgoing federal pensions minister, who told the marchers that “reasonable transitional measures are the responsibility of the new government”. He promised to pass the unions’ message on to the negotiators.