Since 10 pm on Sunday, a nationwide strike in Belgium has disrupted traffic and public services in response to the government’s planned pension reform.
The strike especially bears consequences for train, bus, and air traffic, with a dozen connections having been cancelled for Monday. Only around one in three InterCity trains will run on the main routes and most public transport in Brussels will be cancelled.
Belgian residents had already received a warning last week about a strike between 10pm on Sunday and 10pm on Monday. The CFL also advises its customers to check the impact of the strike on CFL.lu or their mobile app.
Air traffic, too, is expected to be severely disrupted. According to the Belgian news agency Belga, around half of Brussels Airlines’ European flights are cancelled while Charleroi Airport is expecting “severe disruptions”.
The schools in Flanders, the hygiene service, and the post office are also partially affected by the strike. A demonstration of at least 10,000 demonstrators is planned in Brussels.
The trade unions in Belgium had previously called on their members to go on strike for 24 hours to protest cuts in social measures and a possible pension reform. Elections were only held six months ago, but the signs are increasingly pointing to a centre-right coalition.