Following Friday’s day of action, the socialist trade union ACOD is organising another trade union protest against government policy today, 12 October: a strike in the public sector. The impact will be noticeable across various sectors.
The socialist public-sector trade union ACOD is striking today against the underfunding of public services and the threat of further budget cuts.
Disruption is expected in various sectors as a result of the strike.
Rail operator NMBS
3 out of 10 InterCity trains will not be running Belgium’s state-owned rail operator NMBS says. It has drawn up an alternative timetable. The rail strike runs from 10.00 pm Sunday until last trains on Monday.
This means that 7 out of 10 IC trains are running today. In addition, 1 in 2 Local and Suburban trains are running. Few P or commuter trains are running; these are the trains that normally provide extra services during the morning and evening rush hours.
“NMBS advises its passengers to plan their journeys carefully by regularly checking the online journey planner ,” said NMBS spokesperson Dimitri Temmerman.
Flemish local transport company De Lijn
There is also disruption on the De Lijn network today: 4 in 10 De Lijn buses and trams are not running, reports the Flemish transport company.
Across Flanders as a whole, an average of 61 per cent of all buses and trams will be running, but there are differences between the regions.
Like NMBS, De Lijn has drawn up an alternative service based on the staff available.
De Lijn advises passengers to always check its route planner via the website or app before setting off. “Services that are cancelled will not appear in the route planner,” it states. The bus stop and route pages indicate cancelled services with the message ‘not running’.
Brussels local transport company MIVB
The MIVB says all bus and metro lines are operating at a reduced capacity. Some tram lines are also operating.
Passengers can visit the website or use the app for the most up-to-date information. The transport company does, however, expect “significant disruption”.
Education
Disruption extends to schools. Socialist union ACOD Education has given notice of a strike. Traditionally, ACOD has a stronger presence in the GO! official education network.
Flemish public broadcaster VRT
VRT 1 TV will only be showing archive programmes, abridged news bulletins and an episode of VRT NWS Terzake. VRT Canvas, the second channel, will be showing the same content as VRT 1. Ketnet, the channel for youngsters, will only be showing pre-scheduled programmes.
No scheduled programmes will be broadcast on the radio. The radio stations will only be playing music. There is a news bulletin every hour but there is no regional news.
Visual banners and audio messages will be shown regularly on television and radio. In this way, the trade unions are making it clear that a strike is underway.
Other sectors
The strike may also affect household waste collection, which could be disrupted in many towns and municipalities.
For example, Net Brussel is urging residents not to put out their bin bags today. Waste collection may also be disrupted in Ghent, amongst other places.
The strike may also cause disruption in prisons and detention centres, as well as at postal services provider Bpost.