The ACOD Spoor (rail) and ACV-Transcom unions have issued a notice for a 24-hour strike in January. The action aims to express unrest over pension reforms.
The notice has been submitted for Sunday 12 January at 22:00 until Monday 13 January at 22:00 (24 hours). It applies to staff working for the national railway company SNCB, train network manager Infrabel and HR Rail.
"I expect a large response to participate on 13 January, this is why we have submitted a strike notice to give people the opportunity," Günther Blauwens, President of the Flemish union ACOD Spoor, told The Brussels Times.
Fear of pension changes
"People's discontent and concern are huge," Blauwens added. The unions warn that the plans of the government negotiators will have a big impact on the pensions of staff working for Belgian railways.
In a statement, unions pointed to measures such as increasing the retirement age for driving personnel, abolishing railway workers' existing tantièmes – the term used for the career break by which civil servants' pensions are calculated – and calculating pensions based on the entire career instead of the last four years.
They argued this would lead to lower pension amounts, staff working longer careers, and delayed retirements.
Alongside the strike, a rally is planned on 13 January at the Pension Tower in Brussels. SNCB spokesperson Dimitri Temmermans told The Brussels Times that if the strike is confirmed, the company will work out an alternative timetable based on the number of available staff. "This will be communicated 24 hours in advance of the strike."
