A 72-hour strike has been announced by the socialist railway union (CGSP Cheminots/ACOD), starting at 22:00 on Monday 29 January and ending at 22:00 on Thursday 1 February.
Trade unions are protesting against the "unilateral decisions" of the various railway companies and are urging HR-Rail to take "all initiatives to reactivate respectful labour negotiations within Belgian railways."
Whether the strike goes ahead will depend on whether two key assurances are given to railway staff by SNCB. So far, the other main trade unions (liberals and Christians) have not joined the call.
The latest action would be the third strike in a short time on Belgian railways, after 48-hour strikes in both November and December. The first time, the liberal VSOA Spoor and Christian ACV Transcom also supported the action – but the second time, the Christian union dropped out.
Trains pictured at Antwerp station during a strike. Credit: Belga / Nicolas Maeterlinck
For now, the Christian unionists are also not backing the latest 72-hour strike. According to President Koen De Mey, the Christian union was not involved. "This is a decision by ACOD Spoor alone," he told the Belga News Agency.
However, the participation of the third main union, the Liberal-affiliated SLFP Cheminots remains unconfirmed.
The socialist union is blaming the leadership for the deteriorating relations, saying it has become "limited to an exchange of information about decisions already made by the management."
Staff and passengers suffering
CGSP Cheminots expressed concerns about staff well-being, employment, statutory recruitment and the quality of the service provided for passengers. In December, train punctuality in Belgium was at "record low".
Unions claim that management continues to "turn a blind eye" to staff concerns. They fundamentally oppose the fact that "all initiatives are aimed solely at improving productivity and reducing staff numbers". This at the detriment of workforce who "make the real difference for passengers day and night."
Unions want a freeze on new productivity measures and ongoing structural reorganisations "to the detriment of railway workers and passengers".
Unions also seek greater assurances for improving the proactive and urgent recruitment to fall in line with the delivery of achievable and quality services for passengers. The socialist union president Pierre Lejeune admitted that these joint demands are a precondition to suspending the strike notice filed today.
President Pierre Lejeune emphasises that ACOD Spoor remains open to talks with management of the railway company SNCB. No concrete consultations are planned for the time being, but according to General Secretary Günther Blauwens, the management has "plenty of time to give a signal" and avert the strike.
