The Federation of Belgian Enterprises (FEB) issued an alert this month to “cost tsunami” for companies, due to rising energy prices and inflation-related wage increases.
When energy prices skyrocketed last year in wake of war in UkraineChristophe Genard had no other option but to close shop for three months.
The energy bill of this 45-year-old glassblower had reached 6,000 euros per month…
Faced with the prospect of ending a twenty-year career, he adapted to survive: he invested in a smaller oven.
“When I was idle, I was forced to think of other ways to earn a living, so I simply changed tools“, he tells AFP from his studio in Seraing, where he also teaches the profession of glassmaker.
Christophe Genard now uses propane gas cylinders to light his oven a few days a week, which costs him around 100 euros a day.
“It costs me about 3000, 3100 euros per month, half of my previous bill. But I don’t work every day anymore“