Third Day Of Mass Strike In Belgium, Flights At 2 Main Airports Almost Paralyzed

Illustration of the police securing demonstrations. (ev-unsplash)

JAKARTA - The mass strike in Belgium entering its third day on Wednesday 26 November has disrupted flight activity at two major airports in the country.

This national strike was organized by the Belgian labor union against the proposed pension reform and labor market proposed by the government.

The action, which is entering its final day, is the latest in a series of demonstrations by workers protesting the policies of the Government coalition led by Prime Minister (PM) Bart De Wever.

"The De Wever Government's budget message is tough: working longer and harder for lower pension, health and purchasing power," the ABVV-FGTB socialist labor union said in a statement on its website, Wednesday, November 26, quoted from AFP.

As a result of this series of mass strikes, Brussels Airport canceled all departing flights, as well as 110 of the planned 203 incoming flights.

Another Belgian main airport, Charleroi Airport, stated on its website that it also expects significant disruption due to staff shortages choosing to strike.

Charleroi Airport, cannot guarantee the airline's landing and takeoff schedule.

Local media reported that the final day of this mass strike is expected to be affected by school activities, public transportation, and the private sector.

In Brussels, this mass strike took place on Wednesday afternoon local time.

The head of the liberal labor union ACLVB, Badminton Truyens, admitted that he regretted that the union was not consulted by the Belgian government led by PM Bart De Wever in drafting a policy of pension reform and labor markets on Monday this week.

In fact, the drafting of the policy took months and sparked a lot of criticism.

"The deal is not made on the streets on the picket line; it happens at the negotiating table, but you need to be given the opportunity," Truyens told Belgian public broadcaster VRT.

The Belgian government plans to impose new taxes on banks and raise flight and natural gas tickets taxes. Along with cutting spending, this is expected to reduce the government's deficit by 9.2 billion euros or about 10.6 billion US dollars by 2029.

The deficit in the country's budget with the sixth largest economy in the euro zone is estimated to reach 4.5 percent of gross domestic product this year, with a debt of 104.7 percent of GDP, according to the central bank far above the maximum agreed limits based on EU budget rules.