Opposition to austerity imposed by the Federal Government is not letting up and nationwide strikes will continue throughout the month of April.
Prime Minister Bart De Wever's 'Arizona' coalition wants to cut social spending and other aspects of the federal budget by at least €23 billion to reign in Belgium's deficit.
Following a national strike held last Monday, trade unions said they had a "good conversation" with Finance and Pensions Minister Jan Jambon (N-VA). Representatives acknowledged this "first step" but added that "other actions will undoubtedly follow."
Here is a rundown of all of the movements that might affect you during the month of April.
Railway workers
Railway trade unions intend to hold four strike days per month until July. Five different unions will take part in a 24-hour action every Tuesday this month from 8 April (8, 15, 22 and 29 April).
"The measures in the coalition agreement remain a source of great concern for all railway workers," said the unions. "They threaten our pension rights, reduce job security, worsen working conditions and compromise staff welfare."
Credit: Belga
During the first action, only three in five InterCity (IC) trains will be running.
Each strike will affect different areas, with the first one impacting the southeast and northwest of Belgium. Brussels will be in the firing line on the following Tuesday 15 April.
In addition to these actions, a week-long strike is set to take place from 22:00 on 27 April until 22:00 on 4 May.
Teachers
Teachers' strikes kicked off in Wallonia on Monday and will spread to the Brussels-Capital Region on Tuesday 8 April, where protestors will demonstrate outside government headquarters.
Several thousand copies of a 'gazette' including teacher testimonies will be distributed across Wallonia and Brussels from Wednesday. More actions will follow on Friday.
Empty classroom due to a strike of the teachers, in Athenee Royal of Hannut, Tuesday 28 January 2025. Credit: Belga/Eric Lalmand
National strike
The next national strike will take place on Tuesday 29 April, affecting public transport and public services.
Brussels saw major disruptions during the last nationwide demonstration, in which no flights departed from the capital's airports in Zaventem and Charleroi and the entire country ground to a halt.
Food sector
Trade unions representing the food and services sectors have also announced plans to strike from this month, involving workers in the food industry, hospitality, domestic help, tourist attractions and cinemas.
This article was updated at 12:57 on 18 April with additional information on railway strikes.
