Belgian unions expressed deep concern on Thursday over national railway company SNCB’s decision to award a contract for several hundred electric trains to Spanish manufacturer CAF.
Alstom Benelux was also in contention for this 12-year contract, worth a total of €3.4 billion, but the Belgian subsidiary of the French group was not selected.
According to the FGTB Métal Hainaut-Namur and Setca Charleroi Métropole trade unions, failure to secure this contract could jeopardise the operations of Alstom’s sites in Bruges and Charleroi, which employ about 2,000 people.
In Charleroi, where Alstom develops strategic rail technologies, the impact could be significant. The region has already suffered from extensive industrial closures and restructurings, making the loss of such a considerable contract a worrying sign, the unions said.
The unions argued that the contract could have offered job security for workers and strengthened a strategic sector. Instead, it highlights once again the lack of long-term vision for industry and employment in Belgium, they added.
They are demanding immediate guarantees, including complete transparency on the criteria used by the SNCB and the government to award the contract, and the implications of their choice.
Clear commitments regarding the future of the Bruges and Charleroi sites are also required to prevent any social harm, they stress.
On Wednesday, the unions at Alstom's Bruges site also voiced their disappointment over the outcome of the SNCB tender process.
