Ecolo’s proposal was supported by the two other opposition parties (PS and PTB) but was rejected by the MR-Les Engagés majority. With this motion, Ecolo attempted to suspend the federal legislative process and force the opening of a dialogue “which the federal government has so far refused, despite the massive and uncoordinated impacts of this reform on Wallonia,” regional MPs Stéphane Hazée and Bénédicte Linard reiterated this Wednesday. “This motion would not block the reform indefinitely, but it would suspend the process for 60 days, which would allow additional time for consultation,” they insisted.
© BELGA / Bénédicte Linard and Stéphane Hazée (Ecolo) at the Walloon Parliament (illustration)
“The De Wever government’s unemployment reform is linear and will be brutal. There’s no question of delaying it. We’re not naive; we know it will be passed at the federal level. The goal is to avoid further impoverishing Wallonia, which, along with Brussels, will bear the brunt of the burden. We ask you to consider the interests of the Region where you were elected and, at the very least, to refer the matter to the Consultative Committee to see how to support Wallonia, which will have to absorb this budgetary shock,” added Socialist MP Christophe Collignon. The PTB echoed the same sentiment. “We’re not talking about modernization, but about old recipes. We’ve never created a job by removing someone from unemployment,” Julien Liradelfo emphasized. “The Ecolo motion, which we support, is just another way to block a bad measure whose sole aim is to make the job market more precarious and drive down the wages of all Walloon workers,” he continued. However, the majority vote doesn’t agree with the bill. “Unemployment reform is a necessary reform. Unemployment is a magnificent invention, but indefinite unemployment is not a desirable model. Because it can sometimes perpetuate inequalities instead of correcting them,” argued Jean-Paul Bastin (Les Engagés). According to Bastin, “the reform of a system that has reached the end of its logic” also corresponds “to the expectations of many citizens.” “No, it’s not a bad reform. It’s a change for the better. And all change requires adaptation,” added Véronique Durenne, speaking for the MR. “There is no conflict of interest, but a real opportunity for Walloon workers to seize,” she concluded.
