Peter Mertens

Peter Mertens (born 17 December 1969) is a Belgian politician who led the Workers' Party of Belgium from 2008 to 2021. He has served as a member of the Chamber of Representatives since 2019, and as a municipal councilor in Antwerp since 2013. Youth Mertens was born in Antwerp. In 1987, when he was 18 years old, he founded the Studenten tegen Racisme (Students against Racism, SteR) with fellow UFSIA student Marc Spruyt. Four years later, when he was studying sociology at Ghent University, he led a student protest movement against the Gulf War. At this time he joined the youth organisation of the Workers' Party of Belgium, the Marxistisch-Leninistische Beweging (Marxist–Leninist Movement, MLB). With this organisation he was also present at a wide range of student activities, like the solidarity campaign with the workers of the shipyard Boelwerf in Temse, which was threatened with closure. In 1994 Mertens became the president of the MLB, which then participated in the strike movement against proposed reforms by the Minister of Higher Education in the government of the French community, Michel Lebrun. Mertens obtained his licentiate in sociology in 1998 and started working as a temporary employee (interim work). For a year and a half he worked as a labourer for industrial cleaning firms and subcontractors in the Port of Ghent. Politician In 1995 the 5th party congress of the PVDA-PTB took place and Peter Mertens was elected to the National Council of the party. He left his position as president at the youth movement in 1998 and became political secretary in the party branch of the province of Antwerp. In 2002, at the 7th party congress, Mertens was elected to the party bureau. Another four years later he became responsible for the daily management of the party.