An education demonstration will take place in Brussels on April 23, 2024. For the first time since 1996, it will be a national demonstration: both the Dutch-speaking and French-speaking education unions are jointly calling for people to take to the streets. The intention is to make ourselves heard as a sector before the June elections. Because the problems in education are broadly the same, across the language border and across the boundaries of education levels: structural underfunding, high workload, and a whole series of reforms in which education staff are not heard.
We also notice this at Ghent University: recent years have been dominated by heavy cuts and top-down reforms. The recent well-being survey showed that the workload for all staff categories is very high, and that there is little prospect of improvement. It is therefore important that we also make our voice heard in Brussels, together with colleagues from compulsory education and our colleagues from across the language border.
ACOD UGent therefore calls on people to participate in this demonstration!
Practical arrangements
A strike notice applies to all employees at Ghent University. Please note: this strike notice is specifically intended for going to the demonstration. Members of ACOD who are striking and participating in the demonstration can apply for strike compensation if Ghent University has withheld your wages for that day. For this purpose, you can send us the pay slip on which the deduction of wages due to strike is charged by email to ACOD@UGent.be. The strike compensation for a full day's loss of wages is 40 euros.
The demonstration will leave at 10am at Brussels Central Station, and will end shortly before 11am at Surlet de Chokierplein (10-15 minutes on foot from Brussels Central, and right next to Metro Madou where you can take the metro to Brussels South). A number of speeches will then be given here.
With ACOD departures we meet at Ghent Sint-Pieters station at 9 am, from where we take the train to Brussels at 9:23 am. If you would like to join us: let us know!
Regarding transport by train: purchase your train ticket yourself and we will take care of the refund afterwards. After the promotion, send us a scan of your train ticket by email to ACOD@UGent.be, and also include your name, your national register number and your bank account number.
Also note: there will be further regional actions from May 7 to 15. The action in East Flanders is scheduled for May 15 in Ghent. We will keep you informed, but please note that date in your action agenda!