Up to 20,000 demonstrators at a trade unions rally for more purchasing power in Brussels

In concrete terms, the unions are asking, among other things, for a wage increase in addition to the index and a Belgian ceiling for energy prices because for the moment there is no European ceiling for gas prices. In late November, the federal government confirmed that wages cannot increase for the next two years beyond automatic indexation. The so-called wage norm is therefore 0%.

Companies that make a profit will be able to award a consumption allowance (one-off) of up to 500 euros. When it comes to really big winnings, that prize can go as high as €750. There is still a lot of uncertainty about this “purchasing power control”: for example, no thresholds have yet been agreed as to when one has a “higher profit”.