A nationwide strike will take place in Belgium on Wednesday in protest against the wage standard law, high energy prices and declining purchasing power. The action is an initiative of three trade unions. Air and train traffic in particular has been disrupted in several parts of the country. The strikes also have consequences for public transport in the Netherlands.
Canceled flights, few trains and staff shortages in prisons, among others: the strikes are causing chaos in Belgium. More than two hundred flights have been canceled at Zaventem airport and there is no commercial air traffic at all at Charleroi airport. In Ghent, an important access tunnel to the port is said to have been blocked, various Belgian media report.
Residents in Wallonia in particular experience a lot of nuisance. Buses and trains have limited availability. The strike also affects public transport in the Netherlands. Few trains run between Antwerp and Roosendaal. There is also little or no train traffic between Maastricht and Liège.
The Flemish initiators, the trade unions ABVV, ACV and ACLVB, are taking action against the wage standard law. This law prevents a “fair increase in wages”, writes the ACV union on the website. They argue for more wages, now that ‘everything is getting more expensive’. The Flemish Minister of Finance, Matthias Diependaele, is dissatisfied with the strikes. on Twitter he thanks all the Flemish who do work. “To strike in economically very difficult times is completely irresponsible.”