Most public service workers have been on strike since 10 p.m. last night and 10 p.m. tonight. At the center of their demands: revaluation of the function and salaries and denunciation of the lack of personnel
In Belgium, 5 million people are part of the “active population” in Belgium (Statbel figures at the end of 2022), and among them, one in five is a civil servant. This represents approximately 1 million people: 120,000 more than 10 years ago.
But what exactly does being a civil servant mean? Civil servants can be workers in the administration, in the federal, municipal, regional, provincial administration, but also those who work in the CPAS or even the police, garbage collectors or firefighters… In short, all the professions of society but for the benefit of the state.
“We are very happy to have them”
However, civil servants often have the image of being protected or even hidden workers. A question therefore arises: are they really right to strike or are they exaggerating? “If a civil servant is in hiding, he must be flushed out“, says Michel Meyer, federal president of the CGSP at the microphone of BEL RTL. “I’m sorry, but we can’t say that our firefighters are hiding, even the police, if we’re not happy when they make us blow up the balloon, we’re very happy to have them…”
“We saw it clearly during the epidemic, we were congratulated, we were told congratulations… A nurse, a caregiver, an educator, are not people who do nothing”is also offended by Maria Gutierrez, a specialist educator. “A civil servant is someone who works for the benefit of the citizen, contrary to a preconceived idea, no one is hiding in an office”defends Eddy Quaino, permanent CGSP police.
“Sometimes deplorable working conditions”
And contrary to popular belief, the civil servant is not necessarily rolling in gold either: “It depends on the level of the scale, some have a very low one, some are even below the guaranteed minimum wage”underlines Olivier Nyssen, general secretary CGSP-Adm. “Some earn very poorly, in sometimes deplorable working conditions, with non-existent career prospects and with low pensions if they are contractual (non-tenured, editor’s note)”he then explains, while qualifying. “Warning, others make a very good living too…”
