Nationwide strike disrupts Belgium’s transport, public services

Belgium has been brought to a near standstill as the country’s largest trade unions launch a three-day strike, expected to severely disrupt rail and air transport as well as public services.

From November 24, through November 26, Belgium will operate at a reduced pace following the unions’ call to protest government policies, Caliber.Az reports, citing foreign media.

On November 24, public transport networks faced serious disruptions, particularly within the Tec Hainaut system. According to Tec, buses failed to depart from depots in the cities of Mons, Tournai, and Liège. In Liège province, only 35 of 205 lines were running normally, while 158 lines were entirely suspended.

The unions’ demands include revisions to government reforms concerning early retirement for workers, as well as a freeze on wages under a zero-pay standard.

This initiative forms part of a coordinated call to action by the joint trade union front spanning 24 to 26 November. The mobilization unites a broad spectrum of participants, including student organizations such as the Union Syndicale Étudiante, Jeunes anticapitalistes, Librex, Cercle Féministe de l’ULB, and COMAC, alongside the researchers’ and educators’ union CGSP-ER, as well as the cleaning staff collective “Balai en Lutte.”

The demonstrators are protesting austerity measures that, in their view, “erode public services and display contempt for unions and the broader social movement.”

By Vafa Guliyeva