Three-day national strike to disrupt transport, hospitals and schools

A three-day national strike next week is expected to cause significant disruption to public services, including transport, hospitals and schools.

The "November appeal" is the latest and largest in a series of actions in response to the new federal government’s planned austerity measures, which unions say threaten Belgium’s social safety net.

Trade unions denounce measures that they believe will exacerbate inequalities, including new savings on pensions and, more generally, a dismantling of social security and the labour market.

The three-day action - taking place on 24, 25 and 26 November - will begin with a 72-hour rail transport strike starting at 23.00 on 23 November.

The strike will involve all SNCB and subsidiary staff and could be followed by other actions if no dialogue is initiated. A basic level of service, based on non-striking workers, will be set up but will remain limited.

Other public transport operators such as Stib (Brussels), De Lijn (Flanders) and TEC (Wallonia) are also expecting major disruptions throughout the period, though they are unable to specify at this stage which trains, trams and buses will be running.

Stib is expecting a "very limited" service on its Brussels network between 24 and 26 November, while De Lijn warns of reduced service and urges passengers to check their itinerary on a day-to-day basis.

On 25 November, the movement will spread to public administrations: municipalities, hospitals, administrative services, as well as the education sector, which has been invited to join the strike.

The strike axction will peak on 26 November with a national inter-professional strike affecting all sectors, from private to public, ahead of a demonstration planned in Brussels.

Trade unions are calling for alternatives to the federal government’s plans, such as tax reform including a tax on large fortunes, a tax on the digital activities of tech giants, a review of public subsidies granted to companies, and a unified rule ensuring that all income – including that of management companies – contributes fairly to the financing of social security.

The three-day strike is aimed at reminding the government that there is still time to adjust its measures before they are put to the vote, according to unions.