US EditionBelgium hit by three-day national strike
Three major trade unions launched a strike disrupting transport and public services to oppose pension cuts, VAT hikes, and social security reductions, affecting 80% of train services.
- On Monday, November 24, three major trade unions launched a coordinated three-day strike from Monday, November 24 through Wednesday, November 26, closing schools and blocking national transport networks across Belgium.
- Unions demanded Prime Minister Bart De Wever halt what they describe as social dismantling, citing pension cuts, Value-added tax increases and reduced social-security support.
- Road blockades left taxis queuing and airports grounded as public-sector rail operator SNCB ran about 20 per cent of normal trains, several Eurostar services were cancelled, and no flights are expected Wednesday at Bruxelles‑Zaventem and Charleroi.
- Hours before the strike, De Wever's five‑party coalition struck an overnight multi-year budget deal, yet political deadlock persists as negotiations continue with a coalition deadline set for Christmas.
- Legal experts warned the strikes could affect critical infrastructure such as fuel depots and data centres, while tens of thousands of protesters marched in Brussels in mid-October as the government says reforms and VAT hikes are needed to fund military spending.
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90 Articles
They continue to protest against the government's cost-cutting reforms.
The first day of the protest movement against the Government of Bart Wever begins with public transport, with a lower frequency of movement and even the cancellation of trains between Paris and Brussels.
The multi-annual plan reaches 2029 and includes VAT increases, in the gas tax and in the tax on hotels and tourist establishments. It also modifies the indexation of the highest wages Read
Since the entry into power of the centre-right prime minister in February, trade unions have denounced the "gross" budget cuts adopted in the face of the country's debt.
From this Monday, Belgium is experiencing three days of strike against the socio-economic reforms of the De Wever government, which is determined to increase the effort to clean up public finances.
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