Tens of thousands of workers, estimated at around 75,000, protested in Brussels on 12 May 2026 against the Belgian government’s austerity measures and public spending cuts as part of a national strike mobilisation.
The government is facing sustained resistance and the social movement against it is holding firm against the intensified attacks of the De Wever-Bouchez government. The 12 May demonstration is the 15th national mobilisation against the administration and saw thousands filling the streets of Brussels with public and private sector workers, metalworkers, healthcare workers, teachers, public service employees, charity workers, cultural sector workers, youth, feminists and democratic and peace movements well represented.
Trade union leaders accused the government, including the governing coalition known as Arizona, of dismantling pensions, social security and the right to strike. They also denounced measures that fail to deliver on promises and that have been roundly rejected by the public.
The Workers’ Party of Belgium website reported that the government’s social austerity plans are still not getting through, with tens of thousands opposing them. Metalworker Fabio, who was on the demonstration, said: “In our industry, there are people who at 60 are already exhausted. So (working to) 67 years, it’s not possible. We’ve been mobilizing for 18 months and we’ve already made the government back down several times. So, we’re not giving up anything.”
Juliette, a public service worker, said: “They promised 500 euros more in purchasing power. We haven’t seen it. On the other hand, we see prices rising – fuel, groceries, everything is becoming more expensive. Everything is increasing except our wages and meanwhile they are spending billions on war. This is not the right model.”
Over the last 18 months, largely unreported by the UK media, Belgian workers’ protests have already pushed the government back. On at least eight occasions, the administration has had to modify its plans, limit its attacks, or take a step back. As the Workers’ Party of Belgium commented: “What is being challenged today is not just one measure or another, it is the entire Arizona project – a model where the rights of the working class are sacrificed to give gifts to the ultra-rich and free up ever more billions for war.”
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