A nationwide strike has been called by Belgium’s three biggest unions to protest the proposed pension reform. A demonstration is also expected in the capital Brussels.
About 40% of incoming and outgoing flights have been canceled at Brussels airport, which is the largest in Belgium. At the airport, security and baggage handlers, as well as other workers, are on strike.
The Belgian national airline “Brussels Airlines” announced on Saturday that it was forced to cancel half of its flights in Europe in order to be able to operate long-haul flights. Also in Charleroi, Brussels South Airport, which is used by the Irish low-cost airline “Ryanair”, warned that significant flight delays and possible flight cancellations are expected.
The strike also disrupted rail traffic and canceled two out of three trains connecting major cities.
Train services were also disrupted in Brussels and the Wallonia region.
Many teachers have also joined the strikers, especially in the Flanders region, where the federal authorities are responsible for education, the unions reported.
After the parliamentary elections in June, negotiations on the formation of a new government are still ongoing in Belgium.
The five parties involved in the talks plan to raise the retirement age for railway workers and other workers who are currently eligible for early retirement, the CSC union said. The union leader said that it is planned to save at least three billion euros at the expense of pensions.