Unions ban extreme right-wing party members

At the end of October 2006, around 100 members and supporters of the extreme right-wing party Vlaams Belang took part in a demonstration in Liederkerke in the province of Flemish-Brabant. The demonstration was called in reaction to the expulsion of a member of the socialist trade union, the Belgian General Federation of Labour, who was a Vlaams Belang candidate in the municipal elections of the town.

On 26 October 2006, up to 100 members and supporters of the extreme right-wing political party Vlaams Belang took part in a demonstration in Liederkerke, in the province of Flemish-Brabant surrounding the Brussels capital region. The protest was organised as a result of the expulsion of a member of the socialist trade union, the Belgian General Federation of Labour (Fédération Générale du Travail de Belgique/Algemeen Belgisch Vakverbond, FGTB/ABVV), who was also running as a candidate for Vlaams Belang in Liederkerke’s municipal elections.

The demonstrators included the trade union member who was barred as well as the national leaders of Vlaams Belang. The action was intended to protest against the decision of a social democratic city councillor who works at the FGTB/ABVV unemployment office. The demonstrators marched in peaceful protest to the town hall, where a council meeting was in session.

Later, a small delegation led by the President of Vlaams Belang, Frank Vanhecke, was granted an interview with the regional trade union officer of the FGTB/ABVV Food Sector Federation (Centrale Alimentation Horeca Services/Centrale Voeding Horeca Diensten). The union officer wanted to explain why his trade union had allegedly expelled 77 Vlaams Belang members in the province of Flemish-Brabant alone.

Exclusion of extreme-right members

Vlaams Belang is protesting against what it calls ‘discrimination based on political conviction’. In the past, trade unions withdrew the official mandates of trade union representatives who were candidates for the extreme right-wing political party. After the municipal council elections of October 2006, this measure was extended to cover ordinary members of the union. In these elections, the extreme right-wing party increased significantly its seats in some towns compared to the previous municipal council elections in 2000. Compared to the last regional elections in 2004, the extremist party stabilised and in particular did not achieve its objective of breaking the ‘cordon sanitaire’ put up around the party, particularly in Antwerp in the Flanders region of western Belgium. The cordon sanitaire signifies that no governing coalitions are entered into with the party.

Trade unions oppose extremism

In a statement, the FGTB/ABVV repeated that the by-laws of the trade union state that the union has no place for ‘racist, sexist, fascist ideas and behaviours, nor for xenophobia. Membership of the FGTB/ABVV is incompatible with militancy or membership of extreme right-wing parties or movements’. The trade union alleges that a member of staff of the FGTB/ABVV, namely the socialist alderman, is being personally intimidated as a result of the incident. In this regard, according to a trade union spokesperson, pamphlets are being distributed in companies by Vlaams Belang about the incident in Liederkerke. The Confederation of Christian Trade Unions (Confédération des Syndicats Chrétiens/Algemeen Christelijk Vakverbond, CSC/ACV) is currently also carrying out similar exclusion operations, with Vlaams Belang members across Flanders being removed from trade union lists.

Reaction of political party

In the meantime, a legal team working on behalf of Vlaams Belang is investigating what steps can be taken against those trade unions who are removing the party’s members from their lists. In an interview with the Gazet van Antwerpen newspaper on 3 November 2006, the Vlaams Belang Member of Parliament Marie-Rose Morel stated: ‘In Flemish-Brabant alone, we are talking about 80 people. We are now looking at what we can do about this, because this is fundamentally unjust. In the UK, the British National Party won a similar case.’ The political party is also considering filing a complaint with the Centre for Equal Opportunities and Opposition to Racism (Centre pour l'égalité des chances et la lutte contre le racisme/Centrum voor gelijkheid van kansen en voor racismebestrijding), the institute that previously won a case against the forerunner of Vlaams Belang, the Vlaams Blok.

Commentary

This dispute between the trade unions and the extreme right-wing party Vlaams Belang marks a new low in a relationship which has always been shaky (BE9705108N; BE9806146N). Since the breakthrough of Vlaams Belang in the late 1980s, the trade unions have always supported the social movement against ideas of the extreme right. Over the years, Vlaams Belang has radicalised its trade union criticism. In its criticism, the party states that the trade unions are too politicised.

Furthermore, it wants to restrict the role of the trade unions in the administration of the social security system. Although the fundamental trade union rights, such as the freedom of association and right to strike, are not disputed, the party has tabled bills to limit the influence of the unions and to subject the right to strike to a number of strict rules. Although it did have plans in the past to establish its own trade union, this has not happened yet. Nor is it likely to be established since a representative trade union organisation (organisation représentative/representatieve vaksorganisatie) must have at least 50,000 members in order to be able to put forward candidates for the works councils or to be represented in the bargaining structure.

Guy Van Gyes, Higher Institute for Labour Studies (HIVA), Catholic University of Leuven