Mark these dates on your calendar as there will be interruptions to public transport and other services as workers protest at the federal government’s budget cuts
12 March: De Lijn
Unions associated with Flemish public transport service De Lijn have announced a strike on Wednesday, 12 March, in protest at a cut to services planned for certain areas in the region. A modified schedule of busses and trams will run on the day; passengers can find the schedule as of Monday evening.
17 March: NMBS
The two biggest unions representing workers at rail service NMBS plan a nation-wide strike on Monday, 17 March. Unions are protesting a decrease in services as well as a reform of pensions.
Regional strikes are also planned between April and June, though it’s not yet clear what those will entail as they depend on ongoing talks with the mobility and pension ministers.
31 March: Nation-wide general strike
Transport services are also sure to be affected on Monday, 31 March, when workers represented by the socialist union ABVV and Christian union ACV down tools across the country. While there will not be a massive march in the streets of Brussels such as was seen over the last several weeks, many public and private services will be interrupted by absent workers.
Blockades and picket lines are planned at the entrances to warehouses and other company properties. Workers are protesting against the federal government’s coalition agreement. “We’ll have to work longer for a smaller pension,” states the ABVV union on its website. “Savings are coming at the expense of pensioners, the unemployed and public services.”