Brussels public transport to shut down on Thursday

There’s a good chance that Thursday’s national demonstration will involve public transport company STIB/MIVB, which controls the bus, tram and metro networks in and around Brussels, the Christian trade union (ACV) warns.

STIB/MIVB is also expected to take part in the general strike in Brussels on December 8 and the national strike planned for December 15.

The recent coalition agreements affect the already inadequate purchasing power of STIB/MIVB workers, according to ACV Public Services. The union says that various collective agreements are at threat, including compensation for heavy work, retirement policies and the time credit system.

More than eight out of 10 STIB/MIVB employees plan to attend the national demonstration on Thursday, in addition to the two strikes in December. The three unions support STIB/MIVB in all three cases.

As a result, the entire STIB/MIVB network (bus, tram and metro) is expected to shut down on Thursday, only to resume again on Friday morning.