Staff members at Charleroi airport will go on strike for 24 hours this week, which is likely to cause significant disruption to air traffic to and from Belgium's second-largest airport.
Some of the staff at the airport in the south of the country will stop work for 24 hours on Thursday 2 May, CNE union representative Yves Lambot confirmed to Belga News Agency. The union had already filed a strike notice for baggage and catering services earlier this month, but the notice expired on Tuesday.
Social tensions have been rising for some time at Charleroi airport and staff have repeatedly filed complaints of harassment by managers. Last week, management tried to defuse the situation by announcing that it would reassign two targeted managers.
However, the unions criticised this step because the measure is preventive at this stage. They argued that the investigation would need to continue for months, and in the meantime, this would barely improve the situation for employees.
Unions have also cited high work pressure and poor social dialogue at the airport. "The management does not understand staff impatience. They want quick and concrete solutions to the problems at hand," Lambot said.
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At the moment, only the Christian union is calling for a strike on Thursday; the socialist union wants to give this afternoon's talks another chance. The airport's website does not yet mention the strike and no flights have been cancelled so far.
The consequences of the strike remain unclear for now, but the action will likely disrupt operations at the airport, as it will take place in the middle of the spring break for the French-speaking part of the country, making it a very busy period for the aviation industry. In Flanders, many people will also be taking Thursday and Friday off after Wednesday 1 May, which is a bank holiday in the country.
