Railway union METISP-Protect has announced a strike for all Belgian railway employees, from 10.00 p.m. on 2 March to 10.00 p.m. on 30 March.
The strike is “a response to attacks on the public railway service,” METISP-Protect said. It is in line with a nine-day strike initiated by two smaller railway unions, OVS and ASTB, which will run from from 10.00 p.m. on Friday 21 February to 10:00 p.m. on Sunday 2 March.
The unions are protesting against several plans proposed by the federal government.
It is not immediately clear whether METISP-Protect’s strike will have a significant impact on railway services, but the union promises to organise effectively to ensure daily disruptions.
METISP-Protect opposes government reforms that threaten service quality and working conditions. It is also resisting the privatisation and liberalisation of rail transport, and feels that abolishing HR-Rail endangers the integrated model of the Belgian railway service.
The union also opposes a €250-million budget cut to be implemented by 2029, raising the retirement age for on-board staff, abolishing favourable pension ratios, replacing civil servant status with private contracts, and annualising hours worked, which would increase enforced flexibility.
The union vows to challenge all reforms in the Constitutional Court.
“There is significant dissatisfaction among railway staff,” METISP-Protect said. “We feel compelled to act. And not just for railway employees, but for public services in general.”
The largest railway unions, ACOD Spoor and ACV-Transcom, also have strike plans.
They will join a general strike on 31 March, with additional actions and rotating strikes planned from March to July.
