Firefighters spray premier's office
February 10, 2012
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BRUSSELS—Several hundred firefighters have broken through police lines and hosed down the prime minister's office to protest the government's tougher retirement plans.
Firefighters want to keep their early retirement age at 58, arguing their arduous job does not allow them to work into their sixties.
Such demands run counter to government plans to have the overwhelming majority of people work two years beyond 65 so the government can afford an ever-increasing pension bill as Belgium's population ages.
Vice Premier Didier Reynders said caving in to Friday's demands of firefighters would "send the wrong signal" to everyone. Belgium has some 17,000 firefighters.
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