Eva Demesmaeker: “Unions are fueling fear with false information”

As thousands take to the streets of Brussels today to protest what the unions describe as “the Arizona government’s social demolition,” MP Eva Demesmaeker is calling for calm and reason. Speaking on De Ochtend on Radio 1, she said she understands why people are worried, but warned against misinformation and scaremongering coming from the unions.

Spreading fake news to get people into the streets

Eva Demesmaeker acknowledges that concerned citizens have every right to protest. But she takes issue with the way unions are feeding that concern: “I understand people who are worried. But what bothers me is that some are deliberately fueling that fear with fake news—just to push people into the streets.”

She accuses the unions of spreading false claims about the proposed reforms: “In Parliament, we’ve repeatedly stated that night shift bonuses will still apply from 8 p.m. The only change is for e-commerce, where it would shift to midnight—but only for new contracts. Yet the misinformation keeps circulating.”

Keeping jobs from moving abroad

Demesmaeker stresses that the reforms are designed to protect jobs in Belgium: “If we don’t adapt, we risk losing jobs to other countries. That would mean losing employment here—exactly what the unions used to fight against.”

She also points out that working conditions in Belgium remain among the best in the region: “Portraying jobs in Belgium as somehow ‘criminal’ is simply misleading.”

Reforms for the next generation

On pension reform, Demesmaeker emphasizes that nothing is set in stone. The government is still awaiting a study on how the pension penalty might affect women: “If it turns out that a specific group is being hit too hard, we will make adjustments.”

The N-VA MP says the reforms are essential: “Every year, we pay €11 billion just to service our debt—that’s twice the combined budget of police and justice. If we want our children to have a pension one day, we have to reform now.”

The silent majority does want to work

Finally, Demesmaeker points out that a large part of the population is working and not protesting today: “Many people are fed up with paying, day in and day out, for those who refuse to work. These reforms are also aimed at addressing that.”

As for the opposition’s criticism in Parliament today regarding the delayed policy statement by the Prime Minister, she defends the decision: “Better to take an extra week and reach a solid agreement than to rush something through that needs to be rewritten next year anyway.”