A report from the VRT programme Here about the OCMW of Anderlecht is causing a stir. The broadcast shows that the OCMW wrongly awarded two living wages retroactively and paid them several times to incognito editors of the research program, neither of whom lived in Anderlecht. A total of eight social workers testified about the “chaos” in the OCMW. Due to the large number of pending files, the control of living wage benefits is difficult and there are also fewer home visits for inspections.
The Anderlecht councilor Bieke Comer (Vooruit.brussels), responsible for Finance and Control of the institutions under supervision, said on Wednesday that she was “really shocked” after seeing the report. “The OCMW is there to help people in need. Anyone who tampers with this must be punished,” says Comer. The Alderman for Finance demands that there be “a thorough audit in which these problems are explored to the bone.” She also points out the need for more professionalization and control in the OCMW, so that abuse is excluded. “These practices leave the poorest people out in the cold. The barrier to going to the OCMW is only increasing, while they need the help most.” The alderman points out that the Brussels party branch of Vooruit has “been campaigning for a unified OCMW in Brussels for some time”.
Make autonomous decisions
The allocation of living wages is decided by the Special Committee of Social Services (BCSD). That committee consists of local politicians from the municipality. According to the law, they are allowed to make autonomous decisions. This committee has a total of seven members and is chaired by the chairman of the OCMW itself, Lotfi Mostefa (PS), who is also chairman of the Social Housing Company. According to his immediate predecessor, the PS member Mustapha Akouz, “there is also a whole Herereport to be made”.
According to former Anderlecht municipal councilor and current Brussels MP Gilles Verstraeten (N-VA), “this is also common in other municipalities, such as Molenbeek and Brussels City”. “I guarantee you: there are still bodies in the closet elsewhere. There is a whole culture of clientelism where you can arrange everything if you know someone,” he says VRT news.
Text and explanation
There is also fierce criticism from other sides. “It is not an everyday occurrence, but given the scale of the fraud and the lack of controls, I want the committee to hear the two journalists who conducted the investigation, as well as the Minister of Social Integration,” said Ducarme, the chairman of the competent parliamentary committee. Party leader Theo Francken (N-VA) and his party colleague Wouter Raskin are asking for an adjustment to the agenda, so that resigning Federal Minister for Social Integration and Poverty Reduction Karine Lalieux (PS) will provide explanations on Wednesday.
“Particularly worrying,” Brussels Member of Parliament Benjamin Dalle (CD&V) calls the revelations. He calls on Minister Alain Maron to intervene immediately. “Social policy only works if it is fair: those who need help get it, but those who abuse the system are excluded. That must be the norm, also in Anderlecht. Today that certainty is lacking, and that is unacceptable. It is high time to draw a clear line and resolutely opt for transparency, integrity and justice. I call on Minister Maron to take the necessary measures without delay.”
Lalieux has already called in the inspection. “The OCMW works together with the inspectorate and the government service on solutions. If living wages were wrongly paid, it will be reclaimed,” she explains.
