A delegation from the Free Public Service Union (SLFP) will represent the Defence sector at the pension protest scheduled for Monday, the SLFP-Defence negotiations official announced on Sunday.
The Defence sector, which the Arizona coalition (N-VA, MR, Les Engagés, Vooruit, and CD&V) aims to strengthen, will join the protest in Brussels.
"There seems to be a consensus among parties of the future government to increase the Defence budget," said Boris Morenville, SLFP-Defence negotiations head, to Belga News Agency.
Morenville argues that separating personnel issues from material investments is a mistake. He noted that investing in new equipment like F-35 aircrafts and ships without adequate personnel is a waste of public funds and poor management.
New pension conditions will result in staff losing between €300 and €800 per month and working eleven years longer, according to Morenville. This situation, he says, is "lose-lose".
The ageing military workforce is also a concern, with few young recruits joining the ranks. Morenville stressed the need to maintain current pension conditions.
Despite these issues, the union is open to dialogue with the incoming government’s negotiators.
Military participation in national protests is rare. "We are the only Belgian citizens for whom striking is legally prohibited," Morenville remarked, referencing the last military protest on 15 November 2016, where 8,000 Defence members opposed the Michel government’s pension reforms.
