BELGIAN GENERAL STRIKE A report of the General Strike that took place in Belgium in November.. This is an edited version of a report sent to us, thanks alot to the Narren group. Last Summer, the belgian government decided to start designing a new policy with amendments to laws and alterations of this and that agreement, allegedly to improve the competitive position of Belgium in Europe, and thus increase employment and get out of the Depression. They called it the Social Pact. At first, they had meetings with the 'social partners '( pension funds organisations etc ), the unions and the employers organisations. After a while though, the unions and the social partners refused to go along with some of the pact's provisions and it all got stuck. So the government changed the name into Social Plan and went on without them. But then it got stuck again somewhere, and it was simply just such a blatant lie to call it the Social Plan that it was renamed the Global Plan. The plan was put together by the two main parties in the coalition government, the Christian Democrats and the Socialists, who control a half of the votes in the parliament ( although normally a radical change like the Plan needs a two thirds majority to push it through ). The way the plan was worded and publicised in the media it was hard to find out what in fact it was going to change, but with a bigger investigation it was revealed that the Plan was in fact a massive attack on the poor old proles. SUMMARY OF THE PLAN Some of the main changes the Plan proposed were: - DOLE: Increasing the time school-leavers have to be unemployed before they got dole from 6 to 9 months, chucking you off the dole after 2 years continuous signing, and forcing those who they suspected of being unwilling to work onto cheap labour schemes for an extra few quid. -WAGES: Freezing wages for 1994 and '95, while allowing prices to rise. - Scrapping compensation for small accidents at work that force people to take time off sick ( well you should have been more careful ! ).. -PENSIONS AND FAMILY ALLOWANCE both to go down, guess who's going without dinner. -Making 'labour' more flexible, ie making it so that workers can be hired and fired easier, forced to work irregular shifts, as the boss demands. - "Tax on 'second houses", this sounds all very socialist but in practice also would hit poorer people and students renting rooms etc. All this was in the name of increasing Belgium's competitiveness, ie bigger profits for you know who. Anyway, the country went into outrage over the plan. When the first round of talks broke down, the ACV, the Christian Labour Union, broke with the Christian Democrat Party. The ACV and its socialist equivalent, the ABVV, (mis-)represent almost all the unionised workforce. The ABVV leaders were reluctant to strike against the government, partly in fear of the government falling which would let in the far right and the liberals. But as the ACV and the ABVV's own militants were going out on strike anyway, the ABVV decided at a congress to go along with it. ON THE DAY On Thursday 18th November the contents of the Plan were revealed. On Monday 22nd, the strike was struck.. 3 of Belgium's 9 provinces were at a standstill. In a new tactic, pickets stopped anyone getting into the "industrial zones" - pickets of all companies blocked off roads to stop any firms working. Lots of burning tyres were used as barricades ( well needed as it was a freezing day !), and almost everyone brought a bottle ! The atmosphere was good, especially when the pile of bottles started to grow. It was the first time in about 15 years there had been a strike, for most workers this was their first ( aaahhh, isn't it sweet? ) On the Wednesday, the remaining 6 provinces struck and there was hardly anyone at work. By the Friday ( " vendredi rouge" or Red Friday ) it was a national General Strike. On every day there were demonstrations, local, provincial and national. The last time Belgium had such a nationwide General Strike, in 1936, the demands included the 40-hour working week. Alot has changed since then, but the same spontaneous movement was visible, coming more from the grassroots than the official union bullshitocracy. As always there were scabs and people too stupid to enjoy themselves and have a few days off. There were a few incidents, but without major trouble. Even the cops were on strike (?!) . Some firemen were called by one boss to put out a burning barricade, but after arriving and having a quick look and a drink they left again. There was alot of anger directed against bosses, big and small, as not surprisingly the bosses organisation agreed with the Global Plan. After a few drinks in Charleroi, 50 odd pickets made a tour of some of the firms still working and advised them to stop or else they would smash the places up with their baseball bats. On another picketline, a boss turned up to be refused entry to his works. Leaving his car, he stormed off to find some cops to get him in. While he was gone though the pickets completely demolished his car and hid the bits. Some champagne cellars got plundered. All in all the workers were as usual creative in their picketing. People enjoyed themselves on a cold day, lighting fireworks, and giving any press with cameras a 'lively' reception . As one picket said: " If I didn't share my house with my girlfriend, or if I had kids, I don't know how I'd survive. I mean, I have to pay the rent, and we've got one car, a cheap one, but we have to maintain it and pay insurance. You've got to buy food and clothes every once in a while, and you want to go to a movie or to the pub sometimes, and pay all the bills. But my money's all gone by the end of the month, you know? And then these fat bastards, who've never been deprived of anything in their lives tell us we all have to make offers and give up a little...who are they to talk? They earn 2 million a year for god's sake. I'm just trying to live. There's people who have it worse than me. Fucking politicians should come and work here for a month...:" AND? Well for all that, the Global Plan seems to have been voted through with minor changes, so it looks like bad times ahead in Belgium. Not alot was heard from the unions. since Not surprisingly, alot of these changes are attacks the british State made on us here in the 80s, or are carrying out now: the same sort of program is going on in other european countries. The euro-bosses are tightening our belts for the battle for markets with the USA, Japan etc. There isnt much to say except to repeat the old saying...." WE'LL ONLY TIGHTEN OUR BELTS ROUND THE BOSSES NECKS".