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Workers around the world are fighting the same struggle: to defeat the coronavirus together. Every day, the caregivers and all the heroes who continue to keep society running are giving their best.

"Raoul may be in lockdown, but he's still there." ❤

They're going to the factory to save lives. On the heights of Herstal, Safran Aero Booster usually manufactures aircraft engine parts. Since mid-March, workers have been unemployed with supplementary pay. All of them? No. A few volunteers still come to the factory to make spare parts for the respirators that hospitals need. Meeting with Stefano Scibetta, shop steward FGTB (socialist trade union federation) Métal.

Medicine for the People, the network of people's clinics linked to the PTB-PVDA, has medical teams ready to screen staff and residents of nursing homes in the fight against coronavirus.

Only when it is getting dark do we see that the stars are shining. That is when we realize that the ordinary people are the driving force of our country. Let us not forget that, not now, not ever. Now that we have a clear picture of who is keeping this country running, let us make sure they do not have to pay for this crisis.

Doctors from Medicine for the People bought a stock of 60,000 masks to distribute to the Medicine for the People health centres and other health centres in the country. "We could no longer tolerate the shortage of masks, " explains Sofie Merckx, general practitioner at Medicine for the People and PTB-PVDA federal MP.

The PTB-PVDA proposes the introduction of an exceptional Corona Tax on fortunes exceeding 3 million euros in order to guarantee the income of families during the coronavirus crisis. "The coronavirus crisis is first and foremost a health crisis. At the same time, there is a social emergency, with a million people threatened with technical unemployment. It is important today that measures be taken to protect workers' salaries," explains Raoul Hedebouw, spokesperson for the PTB-PVDA.

The epidemic represents a threat that should not be underestimated. A threat to our health first, of course, and to our purchasing power as well. There can be no question of shifting the burden of the crisis onto the workers. Here is the contingency plan developed by the PTB-PVDA, with 7 concrete measures aimed at protecting our purchasing power and getting the big fortunes to contribute.

The PTB-PVDA requests that Belgium should close down companies in non-essential sectors. "Let's learn from what is happening in Italy and in the rest of the world," says PTB-PVDA Chairman Peter Mertens.

Schools and cafes are closing, but in many companies people have to continue working close to one another. It can't go on like this. Health must take precedence over profit. In this video Peter Mertens, chairman of PTB-PVDA, proposes four urgent measures to protect our health and our income. Together we will beat corona. #careforeachother

The PTB-PVDA demands that Belgium move up a gear in the fight against coronavirus and has tabled a proposal in Parliament in order for the necessary funds to be made available in the framework of the budget discussions. “The measures currently on the agenda are far from sufficient to protect people”, says Sofie Merckx, general practitioner and member of parliament for the PTB-PVDA. “This view is also shared by international experts from the World Health Organization (WHO). We must act now, public health must take precedence over short-term economic interests.”

The PTB-PVDA calls for the immediate appointment of a national commissioner to accelerate the fight against the coronavirus in our country. According to the left party, such a commissioner is needed to break the institutional and economic straitjacket that currently prevents the necessary measures from being taken to curb the epidemic in depth.