Although Minister of Administrative Affairs Gwendolyn Rutten and the ACV reached an agreement on Tuesday night, the actions of ACOD and VSOA are still continuing. Dozens of boaters have been blocked for days. The actions are based on a conflict about the reform of the Flemish civil servant statute.
The traffic center of the Albert Canal in Wijnegem is open, but further on the canal is blocked. Six out of ten locks are also closed around Bocholt and Herentals. This includes Dessel, Mol and Geel. Furthermore, many ships are waiting around Bruges, near the Kruispoort Centrale between Ghent and Ostend. In addition, the Centrale Zennegat near Leuven is closed and ships are also tied up in Willebroek.
The three unions are requesting new consultation with Flemish Minister of Administrative Affairs Gwendolyn Rutten (Open Vld) about the reform and the minister wants to respond to this, she said on Friday. “If the unions want to talk, I am certainly willing to listen. Consultation always works better than protest.” The unions are welcome to her cabinet on Friday afternoon “if the two activist unions are prepared to suspend their remaining actions,” she says.