Unions unveil demands for general elections

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Prior to the combined general and European parliamentary elections in Belgium in June 1999, the FGTB/ABVV and CSC/ACV trade union confederations campaigned for strengthened social security, a wealth tax and increases in low pay rates. CSC/ACV also advocated a range of employment creation schemes.

Two months before the common date of 13 June 1999 for both the Belgian general elections and the elections to the European Parliament, the social partners announced their priorities to the political parties fielding candidates in the elections (BE9904172N).

The socialist-oriented trade union confederation, the Belgian General Federation of Labour (Fédération générale du Travail de Belgique/Algemeen Belgisch Vakverbond, FGTB/ABVV), stressed four points:

• opposition to the privatisation of certain schemes within the social security system and the division of the entire social security system between the French- and Flemish-speaking communities. Two separate systems would, it claimed, lead to unfairness;

• a tax on wealth, energy and highly capital-intensive industries in order to balance the social security budget and to compensate for losses of revenue resulting from measures to exempt employers from social security contributions (BE9804141N);

• an increase in the minimum wage through a tax-credit system for low wages, as proposed by the social partners in the National Labour Council (Conseil National du Travail/National Arbeidsraad, CNT/NAR) (BE9902165N); and

• a call on its members not to abstain in the elections and to refuse to vote for the extreme right. This is an important recommendation as in the last elections, the extreme right attracted a significant number of union members, particularly in Flanders and some worse-off regions of Wallonia (BE9705108N).

FGTB/ABVV is also calling for a reduction in working hours, but does not believe that this should be introduced in the form of a law as has been the case in France (FR9806113F), but that it should be left to negotiations between the social partners. The confederation is concentrating its demands particularly on the socialist parties, which are at present in the government coalition. It wants to remind them that their electoral basis is largely made up of union members.

Meanwhile, the Confederation of Christian Unions (Confédération des Syndicats Chrétiens/Algemeen Christelijk Vakverbond, CSC/ACV) is advocating similar priorities concerning social security, raising the income of low-paid workers and social security claimants and the refusal to vote for extreme-right parties. However, it also favours a policy of employment creation through the reduction of wage costs, training, developing the not-for-profit sector, combating "unemployment traps" (BE9901161F) and redistributing work. It also stresses the importance of economic and social democracy in small and medium-sized enterprises, through better trade union representation. Finally, it wants fair taxation and an improved quality of life in the workplace.