For Thierry Bodson, such a “break” would not even be to the advantage of employers who would be faced with “anything goes in certain sectors” with the establishment of “unfair and unbridled competition”.
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For the FGTB, Bart De Wever’s socio-economic note was “out of touch with reality”, with the intention of gradually phasing out end-of-career and early retirement schemes, while many sectors are facing restructuring. “What do we do with these workers who are undergoing restructuring?” asks Thierry Bodson.
The note was finally rejected by the MR, mainly on the project to introduce a tax on capital gains. For the FGTB, this measure is a “smokescreen” which hides “much more significant setbacks.”
In a press release, the union also denounced “manipulation of the wage indexation mechanism” and “the maintenance of the (1996) law on wage standards”.
For the FGTB, the tax reform that was being considered consisted of “taking back with one hand (via the increase in VAT from 6% to 9% and the elimination of the marital quotient) what we would eventually give with the other via a net increase.” The end of the marital quotient would represent “a minimum monthly loss of 250 euros on average, for half a million households in Belgium.” According to Thierry Bodson, this measure would be a distortion of their demand for individualization of rights, because it would only concern taxation and not social security.
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At this stage, the socialist union intends to “inform” and “raise awareness”, but also intends to “react”, probably after the local elections, if negotiations resume on the same basis.
The FGTB also appeals to the Flemish socialist party Vooruit, present around the table, as well as to “the social-Christian family”.
