Liège Teachers Resume Strike as New School Year Begins
The strike movement has resumed in several schools across the Liège region, with teachers ceasing work on Thursday and Friday just days after the start of the new school year. At least five schools in the Liège arrondissement, including three operated by the City of Liège, have filed strike notices, according to RTBF.
Affected institutions include the Athénée de Waha, Athénée Royal d’Ans, Athénée Maurice Destenay, the I.C.T.I.A. (Institut Communal des Techniques de l’Industrie et de l’Automobile), the Académie, as well as S2J and IPES de Herstal. The strike is expected to continue through Friday.
Contested Austerity Measures
The renewed industrial action targets the décret programme passed by the Parliament of the Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles in June 2026. The contested measures include an increase in school fees (minerval), a drastic reduction of subsidies for school meal purchases, and an increase in the teaching load for secondary school teachers without salary compensation.
Teachers accuse Education Minister Valérie Glatigny of failing to take into account the multiple strike movements that shook the teaching world at the end of the previous school year. As L’Avenir reported, Jorre Dewitte, regional secretary of CGSP Enseignement, stated: “The teachers are united and the unions will cover them as long as the minister does not announce a retreat from the measures.”
A Year of Escalating Protest
The current strike is the latest chapter in a year-long protest movement against the MR-Engagés government’s education policies. The conflict escalated through spring 2026, beginning with the “Operation Paillasson” in May, when teachers from Liège, Huy and Verviers lay down on the ground at Place Saint-Lambert and other sites to protest against the government’s measures, as QU4TRE documented.
The movement then expanded from Liège to Verviers, with picket lines organized at eight schools. Teachers vowed to continue until the 27 May vote, and students eventually joined the strike under the banner “Education is not for sale.” By late May, 3,000 to 4,000 people had gathered in Liège as the movement reached its peak.
In June, the conflict intensified further when Liège teachers blocked “coffre-fort” schools to prevent the release of CESS and CE1D exam papers. The exams were ultimately cancelled in all City of Liège schools, with teachers declaring “We won, Valérie Glatigny lost!” as Le Vif reported.
Minister Defends Record
Minister Glatigny has pushed back against the renewed strike action. Speaking on the program Face à Buxant just days before the school year began, she argued that “a disruption would miss its target,” suggesting that a strike would primarily affect students rather than the government. She also stated that “education has done its part” and that the budget is “on track,” according to RTL Info.
The minister has emphasized her willingness to engage in dialogue, noting that she has been in contact with unions “almost every day” since early August. A collective meeting with union representatives is scheduled for 1 September. As 7sur7 reported, she also stated she does not plan further economies in education until 2029.
Unions Vow to Continue
Union leaders and teacher collectives remain skeptical of the minister’s overtures. Céline Noël, a teacher and prominent figure in the Mars Attacks! collective, previously told RTL Info that “communication is completely blocked” and that “the minister is stubborn, obstinate.” She warned that “the situation of education is not sustainable. So we won’t let go.”
Fabien Crutzen, a CSC delegate, was equally blunt during the spring protests, telling RTBF that “the tone is hardening because teachers have understood that the minister is deaf, that she doesn’t want to hear anything.”
What’s Next
The unions have called for a manifestation in Liège on Thursday 10 September, described by Roland Lahaye, Secretary-General of CSC-Enseignement, as “an action of the common front” against the austerity measures, as QU4TRE reported.
With the collective meeting between Minister Glatigny and the unions scheduled for 1 September, and the manifestation planned for 10 September, the coming weeks will be critical in determining whether the conflict can be resolved or will escalate further. The minister has called for a calm start to the school year, but with teachers returning to picket lines just days after the first bell rang, the prospect of a peaceful resolution appears increasingly uncertain.