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National strike on Tuesday: no planes, more trains
Severe disruption to transport and public services is expected on Tuesday 14 October as a result of a national strike by trade unions and civil society organisations against new measures from the federal government.
Demonstrators are invited to gather at Brussels-North station at 10.00 in protest of what unions call a "social breakdown" orchestrated by the Arizona administration.
They are protesting against the strict pension reform and calling for "quality jobs, not bogus contracts" and a tax reform that makes the richest contribute more.
“Whether they are women, immigrants or jobseekers, everyone is penalised by the discriminatory measures of Arizona,” writes the CSC union in its invitation to demonstrate.
The march will leave Brussels-North station at about 10.45 and head towards Brussels-Midi. Trade union leaders and representatives of civil society will speak at the demonstration.
ABVV union leader Bert Engelaar hopes for 100,000 participants, as was the case during a similar action last year.
“We expect a lot of people, from all sectors and from many different organisations,” he said.
Brussels Airport management announced earlier that no passenger flights would take off on 14 October due to the national action and is asking passengers not to travel to the airport.
The airport anticipates a major impact on airport operations due to the significant participation of employees of G4S, Brussels Airport's security provider, in the strike.
About half of incoming flights have also been cancelled. At Charleroi Airport, all flights will be cancelled.
Brussels public transport operator Stib has warned of major disruptions to its network. It said that it would do everything possible to maintain at least part of its service and is providing real-time updates on which lines are running on its website and mobile app.
Flemish public transport company De Lijn is also expecting major disruption, warning that tram and bus services will be reduced.
In Wallonia, the TEC network is also likely to be affected and travellers are advised to check the timetable search before travelling to find out which routes are affected.
Belgian railway company SNCB, on the other hand, is running a normal service and adding 12 extra trains on Tuesday due to the number of demonstrators who chose to travel to Brussels by train and the fact that no strike notices have been submitted to the railway company.
“These trains are necessary for everyone’s comfort, including our commuters who take the train to work or school on Tuesday morning,” said SNCB spokesperson Dimitri Temmerman.
These extra trains are already included in the online travel planner.
A number of schools are also be affected by the strike, as teachers’ unions urged educators to participate.
This comes in part due to a recent announcement of cost-cutting measures by the Wallonia-Brussels Federation, several of which concern education.
Some schools have already announced that they expect not all classes to be able to take place.
In principle, schools are obliged to provide care for the pupils who are present even in the event of disruption. In practice, this usually means that a number of staff remain on hand to provide childcare services in the school building, rather than education.
Bruxelles Propreté expects disruption to waste collection services, noting that "many municipalities may be affected" but that the exact impact remains to be seen.
It advises residents whose waste is collected on Tuesdays to still put their bin bags out on 14 October. If they are not collected, they can be left outside and catch-up rounds will be organised.
Other services, such as the collection of waste in containers, from merchants or residents of apartment buildings, the Recyparks, the Proxy Chimik rounds or the collection of bulky waste from homes, may also be affected.
Grocery stores and other shops could also be affected, as unions in these sectors are calling on workers to take part in the national strike.
They are also calling for a general "consumption strike", urging people to not make any purchases on 14 October in solidarity with the protest.