Belgian firefighters slam retirement age - Gayo Lues

The firemen, demanding early retirement, managed to break through police lines guarding the government headquarters in the capital Brussels. They argue that their job does not allow them to work into their 60’s.

Protests have been held against government plans to increase the age of retirement to 67.

Meanwhile, Belgium’s Deputy Prime Minister Didier Reynders says that giving into the demands of the firefighters would “send the wrong signal”.

Belgium has some 17,000 firefighters.

Meanwhile, recent data shows that Belgium was the first eurozone member to formally fall into recession in the second half of last year.

Europe is battling a debt crisis that so far has prompted two international credit rating agencies to cut the ratings of at least five of its members including Italy, Spain and the EU’s second largest economy, France, which lost its triple-A credit rating.

There are fears that more delays in resolving the eurozone debt crisis, which began in Greece in late 2009 and infected Italy, Spain and France last year, could push not only Europe but also much of the rest of the developed world back into recession.

SZH/JR