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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.

On Sunday, March 8, throughout Belgium and around the world, thousands of women stood up to make their voices heard. From Charleroi, to Ostend, via Liège, Brussels, Ghent, Namur, Mons, Kortrijk and Leuven. Women everywhere stood up to say STOP to pay inequalities, STOP to violence against women and to the many forms of discrimination still all too present in our society. (Photo: 10,000 demonstrators in Brussels)

On Sunday 1 March, at the initiative of the PTB-PVDA, more than 10,000 people gathered in the streets of Brussels for the "Great Anger" , the march for a change in politics.

Given the public health emergency linked to the Coronavirus and Covid-19, the European meeting Fight 4 Pensions planned for Saturday 4th April in Brussels, has been postponed to Sunday 20th September, as part of the programme of the solidarity festival ManiFiesta. The same extraordinary panel of speakers is invited. We will keep you posted of further developments as soon as possible. Thank you for your understanding. For more information please follow: https://www.fight4pensions.eu

Head-on attacks on public pension schemes are a reality in many EU member states. In Spain, the pensioners' struggle began in 2011 and is still ongoing. Every Monday, Spanish pensioners take to the streets. They celebrate the "Mondays in the Sun" to demand fair pensions. (Photo: meeting at Baracaldo, Bilbao.)

Zelzate is a small municipality (12,700 inhabitants) in East Flanders. It is also the only municipality in Belgium governed by a left-wing majority, from the PTB-PVDA with the sp.a (social-democrats). This majority has opted for new investments, a fairer distribution of charges and more participation. A "fair tax shift" is at the centre of Plan for the Future: large companies and multinationals will contribute more, citizens and small enterprises less. (photo : "I support the fair Tax-shift in Zelzate")