With last winter's energy concerns now between us and the pandemic, one might assume that emergency measures imposed during the public health crisis have been removed and pre-pandemic conditions restored.
This should especially be the case with travel, as hotels fill up again and passenger numbers rebound; whilst reservations about going abroad lingered last summer, this year Belgians have made clear their resolve to get away.
This much is undoubtedly good news for transport operators, who can finally balance books and return to their profit-making ways (even if that means throwing environmental considerations out the window). But despite the positive outlook for Europe's biggest budget airline, Ryanair is continuing its assault on staff by maintaining the 20% reduction in pilot salaries that was introduced when Covid-19 hit.
The management refusal to undo this has already led to prolonged disputes with unions, who highlight billion-euro profits whilst the company simultaneously undermines employee protections. Time and again, Ryanair CEO Michael O'Leary has shown indifference to staff calls to reason, instead threatening to pull out of Belgium entirely if unions and the government don't bend to his wishes.
Any effort to sway Ryanair either in the cause of its staff or climate targets is inevitably branded by the belligerent CEO as an attack on business, government interference, and coercion by obstinate and work-shy employees. His response invariably calls on customers who he says will be lumped with higher ticket prices.
Nonetheless, Ryanair pilots have announced strikes at the end of next week – actions that now are becoming routine. Will the risk of disruption put off Ryanair regulars or are the low prices too good to miss? Let @Orlando_tbt know.
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1. Ryanair pilots in Belgium threaten to strike on July 15-16
Ryanair management has until midday on Friday to make a serious proposal on pilot salaries or they will go on strike on the weekend of 15 and 16 July, the Belgian Cockpit Association (Beca), and the unions CNE and ACV Puls announced on Tuesday. Read more.
2. Best in Town: Where to go for a drink after work in Brussels?
While certain Brussels residents will always settle for post-work drinks on Place Saint-Géry or at Place Luxembourg (or "Plux"), there are many more original places in the city to unwind after a long day at the office. Read more.
3. 'Declaration of war': PM's unemployment proposals derail tax reform
As government efforts to reach an agreement on tax reform continue to falter, critics have blamed the "unacceptable" propositions regarding unemployment made by Prime Minister Alexander De Croo. Read more.
4. Compulsory Flemish integration test by September deemed 'unrealistic'
Flanders is aiming to standardise the language test for non-native people learning Dutch, but the feasibility of making the September deadline is looking ever less likely. Read more.
5. How Brussels left its mark on comic strips
When I started out, no one wanted to do a comic strip that took place in Brussels. Artists did not want their characters to fit into a typically Brussels or Belgian universe, because most of the readers were French. The references had to be either Parisian or French in general... Read more.
6. Waterloo battlefield reenactment 2023 – in photos
A record 6,000 people attended the 208th Battle of Waterloo reenactment this weekend, according to Kleber Rossillon, the event's co-organiser. Despite the postponement, the event was deemed a success. Read more.
7. Hidden Belgium: Vaux-Hall
It’s one of the best-kept secrets in Brussels. Hidden among tall trees on the edge of the Brussels Park is an elegant arcade built of wood painted green along with a music kiosk. Read more.
