What is actually happening in Wallonia and Brussels?
Province of Liège:
In Liège, different actions are also organized. “There is an action at the level of the town of Huy, there is another at the level of the town of Verviers and some small actions in Herve too. There is also a gathering of teachers in Visé, it is a request from teachers in the region to gather on the Place de Visé”, notes Régine Fourny, CSC education representative for the province of Liège.
A whole series of actions are also organized in Liège, on the bridges: the Amercœur bridge and the Kennedy bridge with a gathering at the Place du 20 Août. “From 7:30 a.m., there will be a whole series of pickets in front of schools, some teachers will picket in front of their own school to finally show the reasons for the anger, others will go and make protests. pickets in front of other schools and then there are rallies starting.”
According to the organizers, 10,000 people gathered in Liège. The police count 3,000.
Primary school teachers are going on strike, but also secondary school teachers and higher education teachers. “Everyone is really determined to show their anger at the measures proposed by the government,” she concludes.
Province of Walloon Brabant
All the striking teachers from Walloon Brabant gathered in Wavre this Tuesday morning before splitting into several groups to tour the schools. They try to reach as many types of teaching and people as possible. The objective is to be at the entrance to schools, not to block entry, but to distribute leaflets in order to make students, but especially their parents, aware of the current educational situation.
On the Wavre side, Christine Pauwels, teacher at IPES and SLFP union delegate, also spoke about the objectives pursued by this mobilization. “The goal of this action is to say Stop all these reforms that have just come out, to the detriment of our education, to the detriment of students. We are going to once again remove options and permanent contracts for teachers. The slogan, it’s that it’s been fed up for quite a few years. I’m at the end of my career, so I’m fighting for my students and for my young colleagues, who must realize everything that is happening. going on. I think that’s happening. It’s much worse than in the 90s.”she emphasizes. “My fears for my school are qualifying education. Then, it’s the elimination of options. And then to end up regionalizing this qualifying education. We need it. Then, permanent teachers, that will improve what? There are a lot of things. So it’s an awareness-raising action where we distribute leaflets.”
Province of Luxembourg:
In the province of Luxembourg, mobilizations in the four corners of the province, which is quite extensive, are expected. Pickets to distribute leaflets in the morning are present, “mainly aimed at colleagues who have not yet necessarily received the information, who think that they will be spared“, explains Thierry Rolland, CSC education representative for the province of Luxembourg.
In Marche-en-Famenne, Bastogne, Virton and Arlon, gatherings are planned between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. “We’re going to try to make a little noise anyway. We are also on a common front with the workers, with the maintenance staff, the kitchens, the administrative staff“, he explains.
Province of Namur
In Namur, an appointment was made from 7:30 a.m. at the foot of the Citadel. “There, we expect a certain mobilization. We have a lot of feedback from several schools, whether schools which organize the qualification or secondary schools in Greater Namur.“, notes Florence Nicaise, CSC education representative for the province of Namur
Several schools in the province are picketing, leafleting and distributing leaflets to inform parents.
Charleroi region:
In the Charleroi region, four gathering places are organized at the four main entrances to the city. “You should know that numerous local contacts have been made, for example in Chimay and Couvin, but also in the Gosselies region, in the Fleurus region and in the Gerpinnes region.“, notes Thierry Delhoux, CSC education representative for the Charleroi region.
“Many establishments will be impacted by strikes by staff members and we will also have many places where leaflets explaining the terms and conditions will be distributed. This is widely followed in all sectors, with perhaps a small downside for higher education, but at the level of basic education, which formally, for the moment, is not affected by the very first measures taken by the government, there is a very, very strong mobilization“, he explains.
Brussels region
In Brussels, the unions did not organize major demonstrations. Awareness-raising actions take place and leaflets explaining the motivations for the strike are distributed. Pickets are also placed at the entrance to many schools (such as at the Frans Fischer Communal Technical Institute in Schaerbeek, see photo below). Classes are disrupted by the strike, but the children are cared for in daycare.
Related News :