The objective of this action? Demand better working conditions and fair wages for these three sectors of activity. To do this, the unions are demanding a change in European Union rules on public procurement, according to them responsible for a “levelling down of working conditions”.
“The first criterion in public tenders is price, which inevitably has repercussions on workers and subcontractors […] Concretely, the working conditions of these people are not correct, and do not respect the collective agreements of different States “, underlines Aurélie Carette, national sector manager for cleaning and security at the CGSLB.
“This results in significant pressure on workersadds Gaëtan Stas, general secretary of ACV-CSC food & services. An example: in the cleaning sector, the surfaces to be cleaned are increasing, while we are not seeing a massive arrival of new machines or techniques to carry out this task.”
This mobilization therefore aims to demand new rules for awarding these contracts which “strengthen collective bargaining, improve working conditions and guarantee quality services to citizens”write the union organizations in a joint press release.
This debate, started at the European level, was not concluded before the elections in June. “However, we have even more fears today, in view of the results of the elections and a shift to the right, even to the extreme right, with parties which have indicated that they do not wish to discuss this issue “, worries Gaëtan Stas.
From a practical point of view, let us finally remember that all flights departing from Charleroi airport will be canceled due to the demonstration. The same will apply to almost all flights departing from Brussels Airport.
