All teachers in the Wallonia-Brussels Federation, as well as the administrative and technical staff of schools, are called to cross their arms on Tuesday for a day of strike, the first since the installation of the new MR-Engagés majority last July .
Several filter pickets are announced in front of different establishments, as well as the distribution of leaflets in several town centers in Wallonia.
Although classes will undoubtedly be disrupted by this strike, let us remember that schools are required to accommodate children in daycare.
United as a common front, the unions intend to denounce through this action the savings that the new majority will, according to them, impose on education. It is undoubtedly not a coincidence, this strike comes at a time when the FWB parliament will examine the draft budget for 2025.
Trade union organizations fear measures that harm the quality but also the accessibility of education, one of the pillars of democracy. The unions are particularly concerned about a further deterioration in the working conditions of teachers as well as their status. “First of all, we are worried, as professionals, about the future that we will have in store for our profession. We don’t know what sauce we’re going to be served with from the next school year“, declares Charlotte Dubrulle, teacher at La Louvière.
The new government also wants to review the orientation towards specialized education and thus reduce the number of students currently there. “I find that they denigrate pedagogy. It’s important to have someone qualified in the class. Children will be less well trained. Special education is forgotten. And when, afterwards, we get them, they will be in great pain because they will have remained in the ordinary where even very good teachers do not know how to cut themselves into ten pieces.“, deplores Cécile, nursery and primary teacher in special education in La Louvière.
“Funeral procession to bury qualifying education in Nivelles”, they write to us via the orange “Alert us” button.
Union fears
In focus, the controversial decision of the new MR-Engagés majority to put an end to the status of teachers in favor of permanent contracts. Until now, teachers were appointed for life in a school and were therefore civil servants; it is now a permanent contract that new arrivals will obtain. A contract that is easier to end. In addition to this, when analyzing the 2025 draft budget, the sector also fears a reduction in resources for qualifying education.
Qualifications education is technical and vocational education focused on concrete learning of a profession. A reduction in the number of teachers and equipment is planned, but there is also talk of redirecting certain students outside of the compulsory circuit. Adult students who have dropped out of compulsory education for one year will no longer be able to enroll in secondary 3 and 4 in qualifying education. The same goes for students who have a CESS diploma and who will no longer be able to enroll in the 7th year in this sector.
“We are creating a two-tier society with students who either follow and everything will be fine, or they don’t and we will eject them from the school system. They will have to manage to obtain a diploma or training“, explains Charlotte Dubrulle. “I am worried and disgusted as a mother”, she continues“I have two small children. I don’t know what future I will offer them in teaching. We are lucky, with my husband, we both work and we have the means to offer them private lessons if they have shortcomings, but this is not the case for everyone“.
Unions estimate the impact to be at least 500 jobs. They also criticize the budget reduction announced for establishments under Wallonia-Brussels Education (WBE, former French Community), as well as the reduction in allocations to higher establishments to the tune of 6.5 million euros.
For its part, the government justifies these savings measures by the degraded budgetary situation of the FWB. However, he assures that the “essential missions” of education will not be affected.
teaching strike Wallonia-Brussels federation demands
