Flemish public transport company De Lijn's employees will go on a 24-hour strike this Friday to protest privatisation and potential lay-offs.
De Lijn operates buses, trams and light rail vehicles throughout Flanders’ larger cities, including Antwerp, Bruges, Ghent and Louvain.
Trade unions ACOD, ACV and ACLVB have called on staff to protest the privatisation of school transport and on-call bus services. Employees have not been guaranteed job security in case of privatisation, according to the unions.
“Following long negotiations, management has shown no willingness to integrate employees working in school transport and at the on-call bus centre back into De Lijn,” the unions stated.
It is unclear how many employees will participate in the protest, though “the hindrance could be great,” the ACOD said.
De Lijn lost €60 million in revenues as a result of the Covid-19 crisis, HLN reported.
Amée Zoutberg
The Brussels Times
