(VOVworld) – 45,000 workers rallied this week in Brussels, Belgium, to protest the austerity policy.

45,000 workers rallied this week in Brussels, Belgium, to protest the austerity policy. (Photo: AFP/VNA)

Thursday’s demonstration disrupted traffic and public transportation in central Brussels, as well as Namur, Jumet, Genson, and Anderlues. Several administrative offices and schools were forced to close. But National Belgium Rail services ran normally, unaffected by the protest.

The demonstration, the fourth since Prime Minister Charles Michel took office in October, 2014, denounced the austerity policy of the past two years and the government’s plan to reform labor. The “Social reform” would temporarily freeze wages, extend the retirement age from 65 to 67 in 2030, and expand the work week beyond the current maximum of 38 hours. The plan has infuriated the unions.