Belgique - fin d'une belle époque?

365 days since the last elections in Belgium and the feeling nothing is resolved… even worse we are even more antagonised than previously.

This weekend I was watching the Belgian news on the internet and reports from both “sides” where showing a survey where nearly half of the Flemish people interrogated thought that a separation was possible. What has happened to my country? What are we getting ourselves into when other more pressing issues are at stake?

Did I miss something or didn’t I read that the economy is not going well, that more and more Belgians have to live with less money, that unemployment rates are not going down, etc

One year of crisis, ultimatums, name-calling, threats, and absolute ridiculousness towards the outside world. Flanders is even asking Wallonia not to attack it so badly because it is concerned about the bad image it is reflecting abroad… Well it is. And for that to change it is not only Wallonia that has to change attitude but Flanders too.

When I arrived in Geneva, I met a couple of Americans. For the first time they had heard about Belgium. Not because of its beer, chocolate or capital of Europe. For them it was a country “like Somalia right, one without a government”. So ok it’s not as bad as Somalia. We are too well off to fight but it is starting to look like one of these African countries we so much like to criticize for its inability to govern correctly. Tribes that are not getting along, that want to keep the power or take the power from the other, that do not want to share the welfare they have made for themselves.

To people here, Belgium is merely the country were kids are not allowed to play in parks because they don’t speak the language, were housing depends of the willingness of learning the other language and where mayors are not allowed to step into their mandate even though they were elected.

If you want this perception to change, you need to change your attitude. And to change people’s attitude you need to work on tolerance between two communities, embrace their differences and acknowledge the similarities. Change the attitude in the press and make news that covers the entire country and not the communities. Make sure people actually speak the three languages (yes there is a third one).

If you don’t wish to do so, if you believe it is too late like so many Flemish politicians are now proclaiming out loud, then enough is enough. What is happening now is not a negotiation. To my perception, we are faced with two groups having antigonised views on what to do with our country and that will not bulge because of an electorate that they have to please.

Switzerland and social rules….

Two weeks ago, my boss told me that one of my colleagues was losing her job. No warning, no misconduct, no nothing. From one day to another, it was finished. To me, she was the hardest working girl of our team or at least she seemed to. I have no idea what people do behind their computer but she was never late for anything. She was the one who keeps my colleague and me in line, reminding us what we should be doing as we are both a bit loopy.

The only thing that I could say is that she was a bit miscast in her job as she was never really used to work with journalists. However, in Belgium this would never be possible.
This colleague received also an outstanding evaluation a few months before. Now I don’t want to bash my work but since this incident we have been looking into Swiss Labour law and it is quite outrageous…

Apparently in Switzerland no need for a written contract, although it is highly recommended. But even with a contract the employer can sack you without any reason from one day to another. How much time he gives you is up to your contract. If you were a bit silly and signed a contract that says that you can be laid off asap well there is the door and no need to come back.

If you believe you were sacked for unlawful reasons, which would be my colleague’s case, you must know that in Switzerland there are only three unjustified reasons:
1. Getting sacked during maternity leave
2. getting sacked while sick
3. and to be honest I don’t remember what the third reason was but something quite silly.

Even if you are found right in a court of law, you have no right to get your old job back… you only get 6 months pay, however long you have been working there.

People here take their work very seriously. Must be a reminiscent of Protestantism in its hardest form. Contracts are an average 42 hours/week work, you have 20 days holidays but you have to built it up: two days a month. If you leave before the end of your contract, your already taken days will be taken off your last pay (ok to be honest I think it’s the same in Belgium).

Swiss people also like to vote all the time. Well at least in Geneva. They vote on everything. Should Geneva hold a party for the Euro 2008, should there be a smoking ban, should dangerous dogs be forbidden in a park and so on. So of course when it comes to work Swiss people vote, what else is there to do on a Sunday in Geneva?

So when they were asked if they would like to have 5 days more holidays paid per year they voted… NON. And the government had to organise three different rounds to finally get people to agree on prolonging maternity leave with… one week…

Must be the cheese that drives them nut!