NGO workers in Brussels are on strike as we speak - it's kind of a big deal
Hearing from organisers of the NGO protests against the new right wing government
Today’s introduction is written by guest writer Nathan Stewart, a community organiser based in Brussels. By day he coordinates a coalition of climate NGOs, but his efforts to organise the EU Bubble are done in a personal capacity. You can find him at the climate drinks, on the picket lines or at @nathanstewart1060.
We’re going on strike again!
Wednesday, 25 June. Back on the streets. Against the government.
Belgium’s new Arizona coalition are still trying to push their austerity agenda which will hit all of Belgian society, and those of us who work in the NGO sector here will see its impact up close.
Not just on our own salaries, pensions and public services, but on the communities we defend in our work every day.
More austerity means more poverty. And our essential services like healthcare and education are being cut to pay for militarisation. So us workers are fighting back.
Seeing the mass mobilisation made possible by the trade unions here, a group of us international NGO workers have got stuck in ourselves. We didn’t want to leave it to Belgian workers to defend our rights for us.
We’ve organised the first ever international NGO picket in Brussels, collected hundreds of signatures for an open statement against the government and built an active WhatsApp community with almost 250 members. That’s power.
In the course of organising together for the strikes, it soon became clear that issues in our own workplaces are reflected across the whole NGO sector, as argued in this very publication in May. We’ve been able to share our experiences and realise we’re not alone, and now we’re at the stage of setting up trainings on unionising our individual offices. It’s really exciting.
We have so much to learn from the unions. With their help, we’ve managed to unite across struggles and show our solidarity with workers across Belgium.
Collective action is the only way we’ll be able to fight back against these cuts. And without us, these ministers on 10k a month won’t be thinking about the price of a worker’s weekly shop.
Through the unions, there has been a massive effort to turn out on the streets every month, and we need one last big push before the summer... Then we come back hard for the rentrée in September.
And it’s fun. I’ve met so many cool people over the last few months, and we’ve started bumping into each other at Palestine protests and other actions in the city. Relationships we make now will long outlast this current strike wave. It’s invigorating, and a great antidote to burnout.
But what’s really beautiful about all this is that every action we do together only strengthens our ability to defend each other in our own jobs.
Today’s fight prepares us for tomorrow.
First Arizona, then our own offices!
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You’re invited! Brussels Climate Picnic
We’re hosting a climate picnic on the 9th July after work in Parc de Bruxelles!
RSVP free here and keep an eye on our socials for updates & exact location.
What’s Going On?
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Focus On: Nonprofit strike in Belgium
On June 25, nonprofit sector workers across Belgium are going on strike, as part of a nationwide day of coordinated strike action. We spoke with Marie Lemeland, permanent secretary at CNE (Centrale Nationale des Employés BXL-BW).
My name is Marie Lemeland. I’m a permanent secretary at the CNE, where I lead and organise trade union teams in the non-profit sector in Brussels, including many NGOs. My role is to help workers organise so they can protect their rights at work.
Could you briefly explain what’s happening with the current nonprofit sector strike in Belgium?
The “Arizona” government is planning to introduce legislation that would weaken worker protections. This strike is a direct response to those changes.
The proposed legislation would shorten unemployment benefit periods and make access more difficult. That puts pressure on all workers, especially in sectors where jobs are often unstable. At the same time, early retirement and end-of-career systems are being cut back. These are important tools that allow people to leave the workforce with dignity and security.
We’re also asking for wage increases. The current wage freeze has been in place for too long. In a sector where people are already underpaid, this is becoming unsustainable.
From your perspective, how are EU-level policies affecting nonprofit workers and organisations across Europe?
The main issue is the shift toward short-term, project-based funding. It creates a lot of uncertainty. Organisations are under pressure to constantly apply for new grants just to stay afloat.
This affects workers, too. It’s hard to plan when your job depends on the next round of funding. We’re calling for more stable, structural support, funding that gives nonprofits room to breathe and plan for the long term.
There’s growing concern about the shrinking space for civil society to operate. What does that look like in practice, and how is it impacting your members’ ability to do their work?
In fact, there are more and more movements coming out of civil society that are reinforcing trade union action and bringing struggles together.
This is very visible in our professional sectors, where workers are often very committed to their jobs and want to defend decent working conditions so that they can continue to do their jobs properly, and defend the causes to which they have committed themselves professionally.
As far as the trade unions are concerned, the pressure comes more from the employers, who regularly threaten to call into question the right to demonstrate. But in Belgium the trade unions are essential, and it's really our job to continue to mobilise and organise workers to provide a real counterweight. And we're seeing more and more of us turn out, mobilisation after mobilisation! It's a sign that anger is growing.
What can individuals and organisations do to show solidarity with nonprofit workers and defend civic space across Europe?
We’re at a turning point. Nonprofits are expected to do more with less. The reduction in subsidies, the toxicity of new managers who apply methods taken from the profit sector, the constant pressure put on workers — all of this clearly serves a capitalist vision.
The only way to change things is collectively, to move towards a different vision of society, one that is no longer focused on profit and excessive productivity but on care, mutual aid and solidarity. United we stand up for the rights of the most oppressed in the workplace, and that will clearly change the balance of power. That’s why we’re calling people to join us on June 25 (today!).
✊ Strike Date: June 25, 2025
📍 Location: Nationwide, Belgium
🔗 For updates and information, visit lacne.be
So Now What Do I Do?
LEARN SOMETHING
Read: It's time we stop asking warlords how to prevent war. And start asking women, by
.Register for the virtual Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Summit this September. Deadline 30 June.
DO SOMETHING
It’s the Brussels Week of Action for Gaza! See the agenda here (next protest today at 14.30 in Schuman!).
Tune into the Doughnut Economics grassroots connections session online tomorrow 26th June at 17.30 CEST.
Earthrise and Oxfam Novib are looking for women filmmakers for short videos highlighting women in environmentalism. Pitch by 30 June.
Stay in the loop
You can follow us on Instagram @thegreenfix_ . Bluesky @thegreenfix.blsky.social and LinkedIn. Connect with Cass on Instagram @cass.hebron, Bluesky @casshebron.bsky.social and LinkedIn.