Another tsunami of strikes to cripple Belgian rail

The nine-day railroad strike at Belgian public railroad company NMBS/SNCB has only just ended, and the next one is already coming: some railroad unions have announced 18 strike days over the next five months.

The reason for the social unrest at the railway company is the new federal government and its reform plans. These include raising the retirement age—rail workers can now retire at 55 in some cases compared to 67 for the average Belgian employee —and making cuts at the railroad.

Four strike days per month

All railroad employees will strike on Monday, March 17th. The unions also plan four strike days per month from April through July, but they have not released details yet.

On March 31st, ACOD Spoor and ACV-Transcom will also participate in the general strike of public services. The strike commitments apply to all staff and all workplaces of NMBS/SNCB and its subsidiaries.

The unions oppose the federal government’s measures affecting pension rights. “This is an outright breach of contract,” they say. Under the plans, workers would have to work at least seven years longer for a monthly lower pension of hundreds of euros.

In addition, the De Wever government’s budget trajectory shows that 675 million euros must be saved at NMBS/SNCB over the next five years. “By now, we know the song: even fewer staff and more productivity,” the socialist and Christian unions said in chorus.

Supporters and opponents

The unions say that meetings with Mobility Minister Jean-Luc Crucke (Les Engagés) are scheduled every two weeks from March 10th but that they “still have no news” from Pensions Minister Jan Jambon (N-VA).

According to ACOD Spoor president Günther Blauwens, the unions had no option but to strike. “Savings have been made on the railroads for 20 years, and punctuality has been falling all this time. Even with minimal service, train sets are being reduced. Everyone can see that things are going wrong.”

Since the introduction of guaranteed service in 2017, the impact of train strikes in Belgium has already become much more bearable. Still, many travelers have little sympathy for the current strike actions.

Even within NMBS/SNCB, there is disagreement about procedures to be followed. For example, some feel that some of the smaller railroad unions have too much power and that their actions damage the company’s image. At the same time, some labor law specialists also feel that the unions have few alternatives to enforcing their demands beyond striking.