BELGIUM: STRIKES BY BELGIAN RAILWAYS AND NATIONAL AIRLINE SABENA PLUNGE TRANSPORT SECTOR INTO CHAOS.

Record ID: 342148

  • Title: BELGIUM: STRIKES BY BELGIAN RAILWAYS AND NATIONAL AIRLINE SABENA PLUNGE TRANSPORT SECTOR INTO CHAOS.
  • Date: 19th December 1995
  • Summary: BRUSSELS, BELGIUM (DECEMBER 19, 1995) (RTV - ACCESS ALL) 1. GV EXT. OF BRUSSELS ZAVENTEM AIRPORT/ SLV PASSENGERS (2 SHOTS) 0.08 2. GV/SV PEOPLE QUEUEING INSIDE AIRPORT (2 SHOTS) 0.19 3. GV/SLV/SV FLIGHT INDICATOR BOARD SHOWING MOST FLIGHTS CANCELLED/ PASSENGERS (4 SHOTS) 0.37 4. SV AIRPORT COUNTER STAFF 0.43 5. GV/SV PEOPLE WAITING (5 SHOTS) 1.08 6. GV STRIKERS OUTSIDE AIRPORT GATE/ PLANES ON TARMAC (7 SHOTS) 1.38 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved.
  • Embargoed: 3rd January 1996 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: BRUSSELS, BELGIUM
  • City:
  • Country: Belgium
  • Reuters ID: LVA3112GHNYU7VZ7WZGE4NV46AZ9
  • Story Text: A fresh wave of strikes at Belgian railways and national airline Sabena plunged the transport sector in Belgium into chaos on Tuesday (December 19).

    Most of Sabena's 280 flights scheduled for Tuesday were cancelled.

    Train traffic in Wallonia, the southern half of Belgium, was paralysed, and the strike was gradually spreading to the north.

    The Eurostar high-speed trains to Paris and London were also affected and Luxembourg trains towards Belgium were cancelled.

    Trade union officials see the strike actions as part of a campaign to force the centre-left government of Prime Minister Jean-Luc Dehaene to abandon sweeping budget cuts.

    Dehaene's government is seeking to cut over 110 billion Belgian francs (3.69 billion U.S. dollars) from its 1996 budget and is preparing to reform Belgium's generous social security system which has become unaffordable.

    Sabena's unions, which have staged two 24-hour strikes in recent weeks, called the new strike in further protest against the company's plans to cancel a number of collective wage agreements, freeze wages for three years and increase working hours at peak periods.

    Trade union spokesman Freddy Tack said the strike would last at least until after a demonstration starting at Brussels international airport at Zaventem at 0930 GMT on Wednesday.

    Strikers prevented Sabena personnel from entering and some caused traffic jams by blocking the access road to the airport.

    Sabena said in a statement it deplored the trade unions' refusal to hold talks which would lead to "a new model of cooperation and allow Sabena to continue its growth..." But Tack said the unions were prepared to negotiate with Sabena management only if it restored the wage agreements, and would continue to stage one strike action per week until then.

    Railway workers are protesting at the approval by the SNCB company board of a 10-year restructuring plan which includes 70 billion Belgian francs (2.36 billion U.S. dollars) in austerity measures, 8,500 job cuts and a lowering of the retirement age.


  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2015. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
Register