Unemployment Benefit Cuts Face Legal Challenge as Letters Begin Arriving
Brussels,September 12,2025 – Unions are preparing a multi-pronged legal challenge to proposed cuts to unemployment benefits following the arrival of initial notification letters from the OneM (the federal public employment service) to job seekers. The FGTB, led by Thierry Bodson, will offer legal support to its members and is warning recipients to prepare for potential adverse impacts.
The dispute centers on the legality of limiting unemployment benefits, with unions arguing the changes violate Article 23 of the Belgian Constitution, which guarantees a life lived with “human dignity.” They also contend the cuts contravene the principle of acquired rights, requiring proportionate justification and reasonable notice before benefit reductions.
The FGTB plans to send letters to its affiliates within one or two days of them receiving the OneM notification, inviting them to collective information sessions. These sessions will clarify the implications of the OneM letter,which the union criticizes for its “very administrative tone” and omission of any mention of the CPAS (Public Social Welfare Centres).Attendees will also be offered assistance in filing requests before the Labor Court.
“The job seekers affiliated to the FGTB who will discover in their box a letter from the OneM will receive, one or two days later, a letter from us,” explained Bodson. “He will invite them to participate in collective information sessions where we will explain the situation precisely… And I deplore that the OneM has even made any mention of the CPAS. It is an aberration.”
The FGTB will only provide legal representation to its existing members, not those who recently joined. Bodson expressed concern about the number of individuals who will ultimately seek legal recourse,noting that some job seekers mistakenly believe they are immune to the benefit reductions. “Some will have very unpleasant surprises,” he warned.
Regional branches of the FGTB have already begun holding information sessions, encountering widespread misinformation among job seekers.The unfolding situation marks a significant escalation in opposition to the proposed changes to unemployment benefits.