Dockworkers will pause work for one hour on Monday at various terminals according to a pamphlet from the Joint Dockworkers Union Front.
ABVV-BTB, ACV-Transcom, and ACLVB stated that a full 24-hour strike is currently not recommended.
Flows magazine and Belga have reviewed the pamphlet, which is addressed to dockworkers, logistics employees, and various skilled workers at Belgian ports: Antwerp, Zeebrugge, and Ghent. Union representatives will explain why the ports are not yet joining the general 24-hour strike during the one-hour interruption on Monday.
While ABVV and ACV are organising a general strike, the three dockworker unions have chosen targeted action instead.
The unions believe that uncertainty regarding the implementation of the government agreement makes a general strike currently less appropriate. They aim to take action at the right moment for maximum impact to ensure that working conditions and rights are preserved. 31 March is too soon; hasty action could weaken their negotiating position.
The Joint Dockworkers Union Front has three key issues: maintaining specific unemployment regulations related to port operations, preserving existing pension schemes in the sector, and the recognition of unemployment periods in pension calculations due to their unique status.
Monday’s action will focus on “informing and mobilising” at the docks, though disruptions are expected, particularly since the pilots are striking. River pilots, however, will not join the strike. The full impact on the nautical chain will only become clear on Sunday evening. Terminals and ports are already taking measures, and some ships are being redirected to the Netherlands or France.
