MILLIONS of Belgian workers joined a one-day general strike last Monday against the government's proposed austerity strike was accompanied by mass demonstrations all over the country.
It was followed up last demonstration of thousands of steelworkers in Brussells, which was tensions which are rocking Belgium.
The strikes and demonstrations ao the proposals are response of the Wilfred Martens government, with the crisis Belgium's traditional such as textiles and steel. In order to make the working class pay lor the economic crisis, and to restructure' In -dustry at the workers exMartens Ine government proposes:
• A modification in the national 'sliding scale' of wages to reauce incomes by three per cent across the board.
programme of CUSUCS. redundancies and mergers in the steel inThe reduction workers' wages in the steel and textile industries in exchange government financial help The COSURD.
Thursday by a attacked sabretwenty per cent reduction in employers security payments Mounted police flee demonstrators instruct their members which will reduce all social benefits. • Ine introduction 'special powers' which will enable une governient lo rule the economy and the TIONS by executive decree.
This package amounts lo a massive attack on ware callicks estimate that it could, pushed through, result in an overal! per cent reduction in living standards.
wage rates in the inLast Monday's strike was organised by the Socialist FGTB trade union, to which most unionists in the Frenchspeaking south OI the country belong.
Unfortunately the strike was opposed by the CSC, the Christian unior strong in the Flemish-speaking north of Nonetheless, despite official opposition thousands of CS( joined in the which was solid in Brussells and the south, and partially successful in the north. Among the hundreds of red banners of the FGTB in Monday's Brussells demonstration, there were dozens of green banners of the CSC The CSC is complicated by its close links with the Social Christian Party (PSC), of the government OlIC parties in coalition Christian Democrats. LICI rank and file of the che While many oppose the austerity the mcasuics. leadership continues to support the Social Christians and their participation in the government.
muscle our claim.
FTAT also
dispute nationally over the furniture claim. The national executive is supporting any factory around the country taking industrial action.
The union is going for 15 per cent against the bosses' offer of only 7 per cent. The furniture workers have taken natwice in the last three years.
This has led to a rank-and-file campaign in the CSC to break with the Social Christians and form their own political party 'Christian Workers' Party', which would break the pro-capitalist austerity measures Despite the success of the FGTB-organised day strike, the opposition of the socialist-led union remains hesitant and episodic. The Martens government shows no signs of backing down.
The Revolutionary Workers League, the Belgian Trotskyisl organisation, has beer campaigning for two years TOTI general strike defeat the right and impose a workers government.
Its most immediate campaign is for a united front of the workers unions against the govern. ment, to the religious and political div!. sion of the labour move. ment proving an obstacle to repelling the offensie of the bosses and goverr. Hicill.
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wielding mounted cops. The violent scenes in Brussells are a symbol of the massive social