Staff shortages and heavy workloads: Welfare workers to strike on Thursday

Unions for the health and welfare sector expect more than 10,000 people to participate in a demonstration in Brussels on Thursday.

The unions behind the demonstration represent workers in the care, social assistance, childcare, disability, socio-cultural and education sectors.

Workers are demanding more investment in healthcare at various policy levels to address workload and staff shortages in the sector, saying the health and welfare sector needs to be higher on the political agenda.

“We're not demonstrating for the sake of demonstrating, but if we look at the leaked memos and the announced savings, we find it very alarming how little attention is being paid to staff in the sector,” said Nathalie Lionnet, federal secretary of the socialist Setca union.

“We can't stress enough that better pay and a better work-life balance, as well as a reduction in the sector's workload, are an absolute necessity if the sector is to become more attractive.”

BBTK union vice president Johan Van Eeghem echoed the sentiment, saying staff shortages, heavy workloads and high work pressure are major obstacles for the sector.

“We still often see that people who consciously choose a job in care at the start of their career leave the sector after five years,” Van Eeghem said. “We need to make sure the job becomes attractive again.”

Unions warn that "a care crisis is coming our way" if more investments are not made in improving the sector – in particular beyond Flanders, where such investments are already being made.

“Healthcare personnel in hospitals, home nursing and elderly care are creaking under the workload,” said Gert Van Hees, federal sector manager at ACLVB.

“People often praise our healthcare, but without solid investments, that care is really at risk.”

The demonstration will start on Thursday 7 November at 10.30 on Boulevard du Roi Albert II, close to Brussels-North railway station. From there, demonstrators will march through the centre of Brussels to Place Poelaert.