Belgium: Teachers’ Unions Resist Government Attacks on Education
Published:
A Profession in Crisis: Teachers Fight Back
A profession on the verge of collapse: overworked, understaffed, and demoralized. Teachers who once dedicated their lives to education now warn their own children to stay away from the job. Public education, treated as a disposable sector, is at breaking point. This is why Belgian teachers have taken to the streets.
From 27 to 28 January 2025, teachers’ unions in Wallonia and Brussels have launched a 48-hour strike, demanding urgent action against deteriorating working conditions. The unions are standing firm against the MR-Engagés government's cost-cutting measures that jeopardize jobs and weaken the very foundation of vocational education. Among the most alarming changes is the plan to push adult students into separate “promotion sociale” programs, threatening up to 500 jobs—though the government denies these claims.
Defending Job Security and Quality Education
Beyond the immediate budget cuts, the unions are also battling the government’s move to abolish teacher tenure, replacing it with precarious contracts. This is a direct attack on teachers’ rights and job stability. The government’s proposed education reforms, first introduced in the summer, would not only erode teachers’ working conditions but also compromise the quality and accessibility of education for students across the country.
On 27 January, approximately 30,000 people took to the streets of Brussels in a powerful demonstration of resistance. The second day of strike action, 28 January, has been marked by widespread pickets outside schools. The unions have made it clear: this is only the beginning. The fight for education will not stop here.
International Solidarity: A Fight Beyond Borders
Belgian teachers are not alone. Unions across Europe stand with them in this struggle. Jelmer Evers, European Director of Education International and the European Trade Union Committee for Education (ETUCE), stated: "ETUCE stands in full solidarity with teachers in Wallonia and Brussels as they protest against budget cuts in technical and vocational education, the potential loss of 500 jobs, and plans to replace permanent appointments with indefinite-term contracts. These measures risk degrading both the quality of education and the working conditions of teachers—issues that must be urgently addressed to ensure a sustainable future for education."
Education International fully supports its Belgian colleagues as part of its global campaign *Go public! Fund education *, calling on governments to invest in public education as a fundamental right and a public good. Investing in teachers means investing in the future. The fight for quality education continues—and unions will not back down.