TEC to join SNCB in next week's strike

Walloon public transport operator TEC will join Belgian railway company SNCB in its strike next week from Monday 26 to Friday 30 January, with unions not ruling out further action thereafter.

The unions oppose the cost-cutting measures demanded by the Walloon government from the Walloon Transport Operator (OTW), which oversees TEC.

According to workers’ representatives, the measures include ending certain allowances and long-term sick pay, reviewing working hours and outsourcing more routes to private companies.

These are all savings "that are only being considered at the expense of workers", said Pascal Bailly, head of the CGSLB TEC Wallonia union.

Karl Di Stefano, permanent secretary of CSC Public Services, agreed: “They’re taking away very important benefits that were negotiated decades ago and granted to us at the expense of a pay rise.”

A schedule of negotiations has been drawn up with OTW management, running from the end of January to the beginning of March with a first meeting scheduled this week.

Unions said that while dialogue has not yet broken down, whether or not further actions are taken will depend on how the negotiations progress.

The strike is expected to cause major disruption to the network and travellers are urged to consider alternative transport options.

For SNCB, actions will be theoretically spread out over the week among various rail professions, with drivers striking on one day, conductors on another, signal box staff on another, and so on.

“This is to make it a little more bearable financially for the workers,” said Pierre Lejeune, president of CGSP Cheminots.

Railway workers are upset over austerity measures planned by the federal government, including changes to permanent contracts and pensions and a merger of administrative and HR services.

Discussions with the pensions minister Jan Jambon (N-VA) have failed to produce compromises acceptable to the trade unions or which would ease tensions, the unions said.

During the strike, a minimum level of service will be provided by SNCB.

The details of that modified service will be available 24 hours before each day of the strike. Passengers are urged to check timetables on station screens, on the mobile app or on the SNCB website.