One for all, all for one

100 years of the Federation of Socialist Mutualities of Brabant

At the end of the nineteenth century, the socialist labor movement established several organizations to establish and expand its influence among the working class: the sick-society, the cooperative, the trade union, and, in 1885, the Belgian Workers' Party (BWP). The socialists' relentless struggle resulted in a whole series of initiatives aimed at improving and protecting the living conditions of the working class. This led to the first laws on health insurance funds, which in 1909 led to the establishment of what would become the Federation of Socialist Mutualities of Brabant (FSMB). This initially modest initiative was intended to offer material assistance to sick members based on the fundamental principle of mutual health insurance: solidarity. This book describes how, a hundred years after the founding of the FSMB, this essential principle of solidarity remains the foundation for the development and maintenance of a sound healthcare system.

Hendrik Ollivoer & Luc Peiren
Amsab-ISG/Tijdsbeeld & PièceMontee/FSMB, Ghent/Brussels, 2009, 112 p., ill., softcover