BRUSSELS

Thousands of health and social services employees gathered in Belgium on Tuesday to protest unfavorable working conditions

Following a call by unions, the demonstrators rallied outside the Brussels-North railway station with the banners and flags of their labor organizations in hand.

They marched to the Brussels-South railway station about 3 kilometers (about 1.86 miles) southwest, calling for solidarity with healthcare professionals and accessible care.

They also demanded greater resources for health and social services to increase wages and improve working conditions by hiring more staff.

Security forces surrounded the protesters during the demonstration, which closed off some of the city's central roads to traffic.