For the fourth time this year, Belgium is grinding to a halt on Tuesday due to a general strike against the Federal Government's budget cuts. Flights and public transport are disrupted as workers are taking to the streets across the country.
From cancelled flights and fewer metros to a march in Brussels and protest actions throughout Belgium, find all the latest updates in our live coverage here.
- No flights departing from Brussels Airport and Charleroi
- Public transport is disrupted, including Brussels-Paris Eurostar trains
Follow the most important developments here. The latest updates appear highest on the page.
[17:32] - Live blog closed
This live blog is closing. Thank you for following along on The Brussels Times. We'll see you on the next strike.
[17:03] - Inland shipping hit hard
Over 200 vessels were halted earlier this afternoon due to the national strike, according to Inland Shipping Association of Flanders.
It could take two to three weeks for operations to return to normal. "We cannot perform transports to generate revenue, yet all expenses continue. The congestion in the ports is currently worse than during the pandemic," said the director of the independent operator, WeBarge, Olivier de Smedt.
[15:40] - Busy airports expected on Wednesday
Several passengers rebooked their flights for Wednesday following today's cancellations.
In total, around 80,000 passengers will walk through Zaventem tomorrow, 8,000 more than expected. The Charleroi Airport also anticipates a busier Wednesday, with 2,000 more passengers than usual.
Image showing the inside of Brussels Airport. Credit: Belga/Ine Gillis
Brussels Airport advises passengers to arrive on time: two hours in advance for flights within the Schengen zone and three hours in advance for flights outside. For Charleroi, passengers are recommended to arrive three hours in advance
Passengers are recommended to travel to the airport by public transport as car parks are expected to be busy.
[13:24] - Rubbish collection disrupted in Brussels
Around 80% of the white bags for residual waste were collected across Brussels. In Neder-Over-Heembeek, it is estimated only 30% to 50% of rubbish bags were collected.
The collection of blue bags for PMC waste was mostly disrupted around Neder-Over-Heembeek, Koekelberg, Molenbeek, Schaerbeek, as well as in Woluwe-Saint-Pierre and Woluwe-Saint-Lambert.
The collection of the yellow bags for paper recycling was mostly disrupted in Neder-Over-Heembeek and Etterbeek.
Catch-up collections will be organised from Wednesday onwards.
[12:58] - Union representatives met with Employment Minister
The meeting took place this morning in Bièvre, Namur. The discussion was considered constructive with the potential for progress by both the union representatives and the Employment Minister, David Clarinval (MR).
The unions saw potential for progress in negotiations concerning income support allowances, according to the federal secretary for CSC Namur-Dinant, Isabelle Meerhaeghe.
[11:53] - Dutch airports takeover some Belgian flights
Two TUI flights to Málaga and Alicante in Spain will depart from Rotterdam The Hague Airport instead of Brussels, according to a Rotterdam airport spokesperson.
Nine passenger flights operated by Wizz Air will not depart from or arrive in Belgium, but will instead depart from and arrive at Maastricht Aachen Airport, according to the airport's spokesperson. In addition, Maastricht has taken over five cargo flights.
No flights are being diverted via Schiphol for the time being, according to a spokesperson. "But we are open to it if necessary," they added.
[11:36] - Demonstrators place coffin at N-VA HQ
A trade union delegation symbolically placed a coffin to "bury the antisocial Arizona project" in front of the headquarters of the Prime Minister's party, N-VA. The delegation then held a minute of silence.
Union members pictured outside the N-VA headquarters. Credit: Belga/Eric Lalmand
According to the trade unions, no members of the party came down to meet the delegation.
The rest of the demonstrators were unable to approach the N-VA headquarters, which was barricaded by police at the Place du Congrès.
[10:54] - Thousands demonstrate in Brussels
Around 4,000 people set off at around 10:45 on Tuesday from Boulevard Albert II towards the Mont des Arts, according to estimates by the police and trade union CSC. The procession began with chants from activists and the noise of whistles and firecrackers.
Christian and socialist trade unions are demonstrating to denounce the federal government's policies. Multiple profession are represented including railway workers, civil servants, healthcare workers and artists.
The demonstration as part of the national strike on 29 April 2025, in Brussels. Credit: Belga/Eric Lalmand
The demonstrators will pass in front of the Saint-Jean Clinic, the UCLouvain - Saint-Louis campus and the Finance Tower before heading up towards Mont des Arts, passing in front of the N-VA headquarters.
A trade union delegation will make a symbolic visit to the Prime Minister's party (N-VA) headquarters to challenge him on the reforms adopted by the Arizona government.
A demonstration as part of a national strike to protest against the austerity and pension reforms of the federal Arizona government. Credit: Belga/Timon Ramboer
According to a trade union source, no meeting is planned at this stage. The march will end at Mont des Arts, where workers from various sectors will take the floor to talk about their situations.
Other actions are planned in major cities across the country, including Charleroi, Liège, Ghent, and Antwerp.
[10:50] - Union calls for general strike on 20 May
The Socialist trade union, CGSP/ACOD is calling for a general strike of the public sector on 20 May.
In a statement, the union denounced the lack of investment and budget cuts targeting public services.
It is unclear if the Christian trade union ACV/CSC will join the action. This is set to be discussed on Wednesday.
[09:50] - Limited impact on Brussels postal service
Around 84% of postal workers in Brussels came to work today. In Flanders, 97% of workers have started their rounds, while 66% of bpost staff in Wallonia is working.
Postal services are not expected to be significantly impacted in Flanders and Brussels. In Wallonia, it is likely some parcels may take a day longer to arrive.
Parcel sorting centre of Belgian postal company Bpost. Credit: Belga/Nicolas Maeterlinck
[09:47] - Waste collection disrupted in Ghent
Waste collection is reduced in Ghent as 25% of the staff of the Ghent waste management company, IVAGO, is on strike. Recycling centres are also closed.
Residents are advised to consult the IVAGO website for more information on waste services.
[09:43] - One in six Brussels-Paris Eurostars cancelled
Around one in six of the Eurostar trains between Brussels and Paris will not depart today. No disruptions are expected on other lines.
Eurostar has cancelled a total of ten trains: five from Brussels to Paris and five in the opposite direction. Affected passengers have been informed and can exchange their tickets free of charge or receive a full refund.
Credit: Belga / Jonas Roosens
[09:14] - Port of Antwerp-Bruges paralysed
There is currently no shipping traffic on the Western Scheldt. Forty vessels are waiting to enter or leave the port. Shipping traffic in Zeebrugge is proceeding normally.
The Joint Nautical Authority began to gradually halt shipping traffic on Monday afternoon. The disruption will likely continue until Wednesday morning, with the backlog expected to be cleared by Thursday.
The port of Antwerp is also inaccessible to inland shipping. On a normal day, at least a hundred inland vessels enter the Antwerp port area.
[07:19] - No trams leave depot in Liège
The day after its historic opening, no trams left the depot in Bressoux (Liège) on Tuesday morning.
At 04:00, trade unions set up a picket line to prevent trams from leaving the depot on Rue Suzanne Clercx in Bressoux. The industrial action is being widely supported, with "no drivers turning up this morning," a union representative told the Belga News Agency. The power supply to the tracks was also cut off.
Green and red union flag pictured at a closed tram depot in Liege on the day of the National Strike. Credit: Belga/Thomas Michiels
The TEC network is also severely disrupted in Wallonia, particularly in Liège and Hainaut. More than 50 transport lines are affected in the province of Walloon Brabant. Transport disruption has also been reported in Namur and Luxembourg.
Passengers are advised to consult transport schedules online, and are recommended to search for alternative routes.
The industrial action is expected to continue until 04:00 on Wednesday. All TEC services are set to be running as normal on Wednesday.
[06:33] - Only one metro line running in Brussels
Public transport in Brussels will be majorly disrupted all day as only a handful of buses, trams and metros are running in the capital, announced operator STIB/MIVB. As a result, the frequency will be lower than on other days.
At around 06:00, the operator announced that only metro line 1 (extended to Erasme/Erasmus) is running. Tram lines 4, 7, 8, 9, 10 and 51 should be running. There will also be buses on lines 12, 46, 53, 59, 71, 73 and 87 (extended from Simonis to Etangs Noirs/Zwarte Vijvers) and 95.
All the other lines are not served.
Credit: STIB/MIVB
[06:02] - Major disruption at airports
Air traffic in Belgium will be majorly disrupted all day. Brussels Airport in Zaventem announced that all its departing flights have been cancelled on Tuesday. Around half of arriving flights have been cancelled.
At Charleroi Airport, meanwhile, all flights to and from the airport on Tuesday have been cancelled as there will not be enough staff "to run operations in complete safety," the airport announced. "We regret the impact of these actions on our passengers' travel plans and apologise for any inconvenience caused."
Credit: Brussels Airport
[05:32] - Police unions strike at Belgium's nuclear sites
Employees of the security directorate (DAB) of the federal police will take action at both Doel and Tihange nuclear sites in Belgium on Tuesday, the police union NSPV/SNPS announced on Monday. They are protesting against the government's plans to have the army take over the DAB's surveillance of nuclear sites.
"DAB members who were specifically recruited for surveillance assignments and who have received additional internal training for this, are no longer allowed to carry out their specialised task for specious reasons," the union said. "Their accumulated knowledge is being thrown out with the trash to meet the mandatory NATO standard of 2%."
[05:05] - Ports expect more disruption to shipping
Due to a union action in the Zandvliet traffic control centre, shipping traffic to and from Antwerp has been disrupted since 19:30 on Monday evening, reported the Port of Antwerp-Bruges. The disruption will at least last until Wednesday morning.
"At around 13:00 [on Monday], the Common Nautical Authority started coordinating the ships sailing to Antwerp to gradually stop shipping traffic," the port said.
At the public towing services and the lock operation of the Port of Antwerp-Bruges, it is expected that some employees will stop working. Both sea and inland shipping may experience disruption as a result.
Things are looking slightly better for Zeebrugge. According to the port authority, shipping traffic will be possible there during the coming night shift. Dock workers in the ports of Antwerp and Ghent are expected to continue working for the most part.
