Belgian firemen spray water and foam at a ministry building in Brussels - in protest over government plans to reform their pensions.<br/> The action's part of a national 24 hour strike by the country's public sector workers.<br/> Belgium's new government is trying to raise the proper retirement age - currently 65 but actually averaging 59 years - as part of a tough budget plan to reduce the public sector deficit to below the EU limit.<br/> Firemen are particularly angry with the proposal as they say it ignores the needs of professionals with particularly demanding jobs to retire early.<br/> (SOUNDBITE) (French) FIREMAN NICOLAS JALET, SAYING:<br/> "We are here to show our dissatisfaction and also to remind them that we give a service to the population and that we risk our lives each time we go on a shift, and that the least they can do is show a bit of respect to our profession."<br/> The strike is the second show of union opposition to the two-week-old government's cuts after some 50,000 Belgians took to the streets in early December.<br/> Sunita Rappai, Retures
