At the Belgian public railway company NMBS/SNCB, a three-day rail strike has started that will last until Wednesday at 10 p.m.
Among other things, the unions are protesting the government’s plans to end permanent appointments on the railways and against government measures affecting the pension rights of railway staff.
On the first of three strike days, seven out of 10 IC trains will be running. This also applies to half of the local L and suburban S trains. Few P trains, which are normally used during the morning and evening rush hours, will be running.
7 out of 10 IC trains running
On Tuesday, 7 out of 10 IC trains will also be running, as will three out of five local L and suburban S trains. Once again, a few P trains will be running. The situation for Wednesday is unclear at this stage.
The strike notice has only been issued by the socialist railway union ACOD Spoor. The impact of the strike will vary from day to day. The NMBS/SNCB therefore advises travelers to prepare their journey carefully by regularly consulting the online travel planner.
Reform reconfirmed
If you include last year, you arrive at approximately 34 days of strike action at NMBS/SNCB. And whether the strikes are achieving anything remains to be seen.
The Council of Ministers has reconfirmed that, as of June, recruits to the railways will no longer be employed on a statutory basis, but only on a contractual basis.
According to Minister of Mobility Jean-Luc Crucke (Les Engagés), the Council of State has not raised any objections in principle. It has also confirmed that the reform is fully in line with the acquired rights of current staff. In other words, the status of a non-statutory employee will be called into question.
European leader
Together with France, Belgium often tops the European rankings for the number of strike days in the public sector and on the railways.
The reason NMBS/SNCB scores so high is that the railway unions in Belgium are very well organized. Moreover, the railways are seen as the “artery” of the country.
The railway system serves over 800,000 travelers per day, so disruptions attract significant attention and make it a powerful means of pressure in social consultation.
According to estimates by the Federation of Belgian Enterprises (VBO), a nationwide rail strike costs the Belgian economy about 40 million euros per day.
Although strike notices are more frequent at NMBS/SNCB, this does not necessarily mean the entire network is shut down. Since 2018, a minimum service has been in place.
Also, lots of strike actions in Spain and Italy
Strikes are extremely rare at the Dutch railway company NS and are more controlled, often affecting specific regions rather than the whole country.
In Germany, strikes at Deutsche Bahn can be very intense. Still, they are less frequent because they are usually linked to specific collective bargaining agreements – the so-called ‘Friedenspflicht’ prohibits strikes while a collective bargaining agreement is in force.
Spain and Italy, like Belgium and France, are among the European countries with the highest levels of public-sector strikes. However, there are subtle differences in how these strikes are organized and in their impact.
Unlike Belgium, where strikes can sometimes last for days, Italian strikes often last only 4, 8, or 24 hours. Italy also has a very strict system of “fasce orarie di garanzia.”
Between 6:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m., the most important trains almost always run, regardless of the strike, to facilitate commuting.
Spain (Renfe) is like Belgium in terms of strike frequency. Strikes often revolve around the privatization of rail lines, the introduction of new competitors such as Iryo and Ouigo, and staff shortages.
However, as in Belgium, the Spanish government is obliged to impose “servicios mínimos” (minimum services). This means that 50% to 75% of trains continue to run, especially on the popular high-speed lines (AVE).
