Brussels: Belgium is witnessing the onset of a three-day national strike initiated by labor unions in response to reforms proposed by conservative Prime Minister Bart De Wever.
According to Kuwait News Agency, the unions are unified in their opposition to these measures, which aim to rebalance public finances. The socialist, Christian, and liberal unions have formed a "unified union front" to send a strong message to the government, urging the withdrawal of what they label as "social dismantling" measures.
The strike begins in the public transport and railway sectors on Monday, with plans to expand to public-sector services on Tuesday, culminating in a full strike on Wednesday. The Belgian railway company has announced it will operate only one out of every two trains on main lines and will significantly reduce peak-hour services. Several international train routes, including Eurostar services between Brussels and Paris, have been canceled. The strike is expected to cause disruptions in metro, tram, and bus networks as employees from the STIB transport company participate.
The strike's scope will further expand on Tuesday to encompass schools, nurseries, public administrations, and hospitals, leading to a general strike on Wednesday. This will paralyze a significant portion of activities in both the public and private sectors. Airport operators have announced that no commercial flights will take off on Wednesday from Brussels-Zaventem or Charleroi airports due to the absence of security staff.
This mobilization follows a series of union actions since the formation of the "Arizona" coalition government led by Prime Minister Bart De Wever last February. Belgium, which has one of the highest levels of public debt in the eurozone, is being urged by the conservative prime minister to cut spending significantly. His plan includes liberalizing the labor market, modifying unemployment benefits eligibility, and reforming the pension system by raising the retirement age from 65 to 67.
However, the five parties in the governing coalition are divided over the scale and financing of these reforms, especially given the sharp increase in military spending. The unions are hopeful that the three-day strike will exert enough pressure on the government to reconsider its plans before the deadline set by Prime Minister De Wever for the coalition parties to reach an agreement by Christmas.