« few wocks bofore New Year's day, aren bri Len a ogotiations botu. een the trade unions and the omployers! associations, logal holidays with pay wore incrsased for 211 Beigien ma saad workers and white ecllar cimpleyeos te He _Wovks with Pive wocks pay. Cn January lst
RCRA 9 02cm 2 now law exms into off Which oxtonds Froe ass compons.tion (free modical service, on eripticns and hospital sorvice) to all “ld-ags pensioners, widows, orphans ond injured workers.
Both. successes have, of course, bsen hed with mony roservations yhich aro correctly criticised by left-wing militants, The oyton sion of paid holidays from two to three woeks is to bo introduced in two stages (three more days this year, tho full throe wooks in 1965). The omployors nave the right, in scme industrics, to stagger the cxtra days throughout the year, which would prevent the workors Frown having longer holidays. liso, in oxchange for the concession, the unions have agpsed not to press demands for a 40-hour woult before ‘tho end of 1954, TEs froe sickness componsaticn for old-age ponsionergs is limited to those with an annual income of less than £530, which oxcludes many waitecollar ponsioners and governmont office workers, Contributions arc to be incrcased.
Nevertheless, those roforme undoubtodly rapresent a significant step forward for the Belgian working class, Tho striking fact chout them is the relatively easy way in woich they were obtained, The demand for three wooks! holidsy wou first advanced by tho leader of tho left wing of the socialist trads-union in «2 radio spccech at the end off MUZUST g 1963. immediately after this damand was supported by the whole sosialist trade union mov s woll as oe the Catholics trade union fodsration, Reprosontotives Q First opposed the clain, Put as scon as negotia mining of December, 1963, it becanre clone
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From a ian correspondent.
“The ¢ genera | strike. ‘vhich “bor van in Iceland on or 10th, in protcst against the omployors! refusnl to grant demsnds for a increase, ended on 21 December, with a guneral increase in wages of 1536 Tho strike, waich paralysed all activity on the island, was called by the 30,000 strong Icelandic Federation of Labour.