Belgium strike grounds flights and halts transport systems
All departures from Brussels' Zaventem airport and the Charleroi airport near Brussels have been cancelled due to a general strike declared in Belgium. In Brussels, only one metro line, four tram lines, and six bus lines are operating. The protest is related to the government's planned changes to the pension system.
Since Monday morning, Brussels Zaventem airport appeared deserted. Both the airport and the national airline Brussels Airlines had informed passengers in advance that all 244 flights from Brussels were cancelled that day; only a few passengers arrived at Zaventem unaware of this information.
According to announcements, the airport is expected to receive several planes landing in the capital, but their number has been significantly reduced due to a lack of ground staff and the inability to ensure safety for arrivals. As the arrival information on the capital airport's website was also not updated on Monday, passengers must contact the carrier themselves regarding this matter.
The situation is similar at Charleroi airport near Brussels, serving low-cost airlines, where all departures and arrivals to Belgium were cancelled on Monday.
However, the paralysis has not only affected the airports. In Brussels itself, only one of the four metro lines is operating - the one that reaches most of the capital's hospitals - but trains are running with limited frequency. Similarly, four of the 13 tram lines and six of the 35 available bus lines in Brussels are operational.
Local carrier STIB/MIVB advised passengers to follow the current situation on social media and to consider alternative means of transport, such as scooters.
Paralysis not only in Brussels
It was not only Brussels that was paralysed on Monday. In Flanders, only half of the trains were operating, while in Wallonia, no buses ventured onto the streets of Charleroi, and in other towns, public transport was halved. Ports are also paralysed – in Antwerp alone, 30 ships are waiting to enter or leave the port, with 11 vessels "trapped" on the North Sea. However, according to Belgian media, many shipping companies anticipated problems and arranged for their ships to leave the port earlier; hence the noticeable increase in maritime traffic in recent days.
This is already the third general strike by trade unions in Belgium this year. During the previous ones, most flights to and from the country's capital were also cancelled, but the paralysis was not as drastic.
Media refer to Monday's strike as a serious "wake-up call" for Prime Minister Bart De Wever's government. The unions are especially protesting against the plans of the new ruling coalition to change the pension system, including methods for calculating civil service pensions, the elimination of special pension plans for some professions, including military and police, and the abolition of automatic wage indexation. The changes will also concern the possibilities for early retirement. The coalition's plans also include reducing access to unemployment benefits.
Public opinion surveys revealed that, on average, every second Belgian supports the strikes.
