Beware if you need to travel or commute on 9 November, next Wednesday. As a national day of protests and strike action for more purchasing power takes place, flights at Brussels Airport will be disrupted, as will rail, tram, bus and metro services across the country.
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4 in 10 flights cancelled at Brussels Airport next Wednesday as a national day of strike action takes place
Michaël Torfs
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Forty percent of the flights that were due to leave from Zaventem have already been scrapped, and the number could still climb. "We are staging talks with our partners. We want to avoid chaos", says Brussels Airport spokeswoman Ihsane Chioua Lekhli.
"If you have booked a flight, the airline will contact you if your flight has been scrapped. If you can still go, we advise to take hand luggage only", she adds. This is because baggage handlers are expected to take part in the strike.
Public transport services across the country will be affected. The Flemish public transport company De Lijn says the impact is not yet clear as it is not sure how many employees will be absent. The Belgian Rail company NMBS says the different trades unions want to down tools. A minimum service will be in place, the impact will depend on how many employees take part. The new schedule will be released on Tuesday. The rail strike will start on Tuesday evening at 10 p.m.
Workers in the Flemish ports may also down tools. Trades unions are calling on them to take part in the strike to demand better wages. Unions say that prices for shipments have risen and that workers have always continued working during the corona crisis. "If you look at the profits in the sector, keeping the wages down is not correct", unions say.
What's this about? Trades unions want to highlight their demand for more purchasing power. While the socialist union calls for an outright strike, the Christian union (ACV) labels it as "a day of action". However, many union members will down tools to be able to take part in the action. The ACV says that "many employees are having hard times financially, and are afraid to go into the winter months. The water is rising to their noses, instead of their lips"