After a phenomenal and social campaign, the Belgian Workers' Party (PTB-PVDA) has confirmed its progress throughout the country, with results ranging from 6.6% in Flanders to over 12% in Brussels and 13.5% in Wallonia. The genuine left thus sends 12 members to the federal parliament, 1 member to the European Parliament, 11 members to the Brussels Parliament, 4 members to the Flemish Parliament and 10 members to the Walloon Parliament. In addition, the PTB will have 4 senators. The number of PTB parliamentarians therefore, increases from 8 to 42. At the national level, the PTB has become the 5th largest party among the 12 parties with elected representatives. In his victory speech in Antwerp, PTB chairman Peter Mertens said: “He who fights can lose. He who does not fight has already lost,” said Bertolt Brecht. We fought. Like David against Goliath. Well-paid people said Goliath would win. They said they would bury David. They said that in Flanders, this would not happen. Well, no, no. We are David. We fought. And we won!” After the 2 seats in the federal parliament won in 2014, with Raoul Hedebouw and Marco Van Hees, this is the first time that the PTB sends deputies to the federal parliament from Flanders, where the situation is much more on the right than in Wallonia.

Mertens: “During this campaign, the PTB imposed a debate on matters of concern to the people: 6% VAT on energy, free public transport, the cost of health care, tax injustice. Having to work longer years, the people are fed up with. Having to work more flexibly, the people are fed up with. The people are fed up with a society where the rich are getting richer and richer and the poor are getting poorer.”

But we also have to face the rise of the far right, with Vlaams Belang coming second in Flanders, tripling its score and getting 18.5% in northern Belgium. “The rise of the far right must incite all traditional parties to reflect,” continues Peter Mertens. “They have an important responsibility. And they repeated that the N-VA [the largest party, Flemish nationalist and right-wing] was a barrier against the far right. But it's a bridge for her! The far right divides people, spreads hatred. We, the authentic left, are fighting for solidarity, for the unity of the workers. Our social security is united, our country remains united and the PTB is united. The far right has nothing to offer the people. It is up to us to prove it: fascism will not pass!“

Raoul Hedebouw, national spokesperson and federal member of Parliament for the PTB, talks about “a major bright red breakthrough on May 26”. He continued: “We need a real break for social and fiscal justice. This is an important signal for all traditional parties. But what do we see? None of them are currently questioning themselves. “

For the first time in its history, the PTB will send a representative to the European Parliament: Marc Botenga, with 14.5% of the vote for the French-speaking constituency. He congratulated all those who “propelled this ‘spicy’ left that appears everywhere, in companies, in neighborhoods, .” “Now we have a left locomotive that will be able to move the lines also at the European level. The genuine left will be necessary to offer an alternative to the far right and to the policies of Macron or Merkel, which open the way to the far right with their Europe of competition, austerity and money. “

The PTB considers that it conducted its best election campaign ever. On this point, the party chairman, Peter Mertens, said at the election evening in Antwerp: “What a dynamic, what an enthusiasm, what a commitment! And I would like to begin by applauding all the volunteers and militants who have worked in all the provinces, often in the shadows, often under difficult circumstances. They are people who make a difference, ordinary people, extraordinary people who act together... We can only do it together. Together, we have a world to win! “

#Belgium #PeoplesStruggles #PTB #WorkersPartyOfBelgium #Europe

PTB+ leaping in Wallonia and in Brussels, and growing in Flanders

“We are happy about the leap of the PTB+ everywhere in Brussels and in Wallonia” stated Raoul Hedebouw, spokesperson of the PTB+. “The PTB+ is also progressing in Flanders, especially in Antwerps, despite the huge success of the N-VA.”. As example the PTB+ obtained 4.2% of the votes in the county of Liège, 4.1% in Antwerps and 2% in Brussels area.

—PTB+ press service

“We are grateful to all the voters whom entrusted us. According to the first results we would be tripling our votes in Wallonia and in Brussels compared to 2007 and we would grow by 50% in Flanders,” added the spokesperson of the left party. “A left protest vote has been expressed towards the four big French speaking parties. With this result we are going to continue playing our role as a mosquito and be on the alert concerning cut plans to come and the political crisis the country is likely to face.”

“It is even more important to underline the signal given by the votes for the PTB+ in the city of Antwerps and in Flanders given the context of shifting to the right and nationalism.” says Peter Mertens, president of the PTB+. “Of course the score of the N-VA are alarming. The risk of the country being immersed in a month’s long deep crisis is even more dangerous given the context of an economical crisis of unseen proportions. History showed us where the mix of crisis and nationalism could lead to. With our party we want to resist that. We want to build bridges between the two communities with our national and bilingual party.”

Raoul Hedebouw, candidate for the House for Liège province stresses that results of the PTB+ for the province are above 3%. “With such results on the province level, it becomes possible to have one representative after the next national or regional elections. And with 4.2% for the Liège county, we could have our first City Council member by 2012.” Thanks to a 4.1% score Peter Mertens could become the first PTB+ Council member by 2012 in Antwerps, the largest city of Flanders.

#Belgium #PTB #WorkersPartyOfBelgium #Europe

Statement of the Workers’ Party of Belgium

In a historical demonstration, 100,000 workers, coming from most of the country’s factories, marched through Brussels last Friday, Oct. 28. More than just a rally, Brussels saw a real social movement take shape, defending the right for older workers to benefit from early retirement and the right of the unemployed youth to get a job.

Belgium’s workers hadn’t taken to the streets in such large numbers since 1986. The current mobilisation is larger and more profound than the movement against the anti-worker ‘global plan’ of 1993.

The Belgium-from-below had started a strike movement ten days earlier, culminating in the Brussels demonstration on Oct. 28. That day a second general strike was held. The first one took place on Oct. 7.

Even as many trade union militants and shop stewards were present, tens of thousands of common workers from all major industrial plants came to demonstrate in Brussels last Friday, many of them for the first time.

Even as this movement is broad, it is also very profound and determined. Before the demonstration, those in power had warned: “You are selfish, you are not concerned about the youth but only about your pre-pension, you are against a pact of solidarity between the generations.” But the 100,000 marchers in Brussels have shown that the real solidarity pact between the generations was taking shape in the streets, in the form of class solidarity.

From the workers in the chemical industry, up to the saleswomen from the supermarkets, and including the metal workers from VW, the message was one and clear: “Don’t touch our pre-pension,” and “Pre-pension at 58 years, not at 60.” Can the government plans to reduce the pre-retirement age be stopped? “We have to stop them, this is really crucial matter. We are exhausted by the infernal work rhythm, the stress, the workload,” said one demonstrator after the other.

Young people spoke to us about their parents, exhausted by their job, wanting to take up their pre-pension in order to safeguard their health. At the same time, the elder marchers were mobilised for jobs for the youth, for their children. Both ways, they showed to be against the ‘war of the generations’ that the government is fomenting. “Why the hell work longer while 140,000 young people are waiting for a job?” was one of the main reasons invoked when asked why people came to demonstrate in Brussels. And many young people told us: “If we accept today the postponement of the pre-retirement age to 60 years, it will be 70 years when it will be us who are eligible.”

The current movement is showing that there certainly exists a clear class opposition between the world of the workers and the world of capital. And the Oct. 28 manifestation has been a milestone for the Belgian working class to show its solidarity and its strength. The working class is already getting organised for the weeks ahead, and will thus contribute to the unity of the workers movement in Europe, united against the imperialist European Union.

www.wpb.be, wpb@wpb.be

#Belgium #Statement #generalStrike #PTB

Oct. 7, Belgium witnessed a 24-hour general strike – the first in more than twelve years. The social democratic trade union federation (Fédération Générale du Travail de Belgique or FGTB, with more than 1.3 million members) had called for a general strike because the workers opposed the prolongation of their employment career by 5 years – thus limiting the access to early retirement plans. This was a demand of the employers and the government and a consequence of the Lisbon process, which was agreed upon at the European Union’s 2000 Lisbon summit.

The strike was a resounding success. Although the Christian democratic trade union federation (Confédération des Syndicats Chrétiens or CSC, with almost 1.6 million members) had not called for a strike, a large part of its members joined their comrades of the FGTB in their strike and protest actions.

The port of Antwerp, the second port of Europe (after Rotterdam), was blocked. Arcelor, the steel giant, was paralyzed and so was the car industry: General Motors, Ford, Volkswagen and Volvo. The same was true for Caterpillar, the chemical and petrochemical industry, the steel industry, the retail sector, the nutrition sector, the textile sector, etc. Public transport came to a standstill and large parts of the postal services and the education sector were paralyzed. True to tradition, and to the irritation of the employers, flying pickets went to industrial parks in order to block strategic roads and to encourage the workers of small enterprises to join.

Through the issue was early retirement, the people also questioned the entire system, the government and the employers about many other issues. Workers’ Party of Belgium (WPB) members have documented hundreds of testimonies from all sectors. They unanimously say it is not possible to work until the age of 60, let alone 65. Workload is too heavy, productivity is too high, people feel worn out. That is the basis of the discontent and dissent.

Apart from this, everyone sees that the young have great difficulties to find a job. That is already a societal problem in itself. Why then can the older workers not retire while the young contribute to the social security by having genuine jobs? Because the employers actually want a large reserve army of unemployed to ensure a downward pressure on the salaries (and maximize their profit margins). The WPB slogan, “600,000 unemployed; why work longer?” is therefore very apt.

Besides, people are concerned about the future of the social security system – another contested issue.

WPB members have been mobilized massively in support of the strike. Before, they had already distributed 130,000 fliers. On Oct. 7, they visited many pickets and were touched by the warm reception by the strikers. They sold the party’s weekly newspaper Solidaire and a pamphlet on the retirement issue and social security. The WPB’s “Letter for trade unionists” was well received. The WPB was the only party to support the general strike without reservations.

The general strike in Belgium is part of a long series of workers’ struggles in Europe: Germany, the Netherlands, Greece, Italy, Spain, Portugal, etc. Just like in France after the Oct. 4 national strike, the Belgian workers’ struggle continues. In this struggle, it is the task of the communists to instill revolutionary consciousness and reinforce the Party.

Let us unite against the Lisbon process of the imperialist European Union!

#Belgium #Labor #PTB #FédérationGénéraleDuTravailDeBelgique #Europe