BELGIUM: Brussels public transport halted in protest over worker killing.

Record ID: 377822

  • Title: BELGIUM: Brussels public transport halted in protest over worker killing.
  • Date: 9th April 2012
  • Summary: BRUSSELS, BELGIUM (APRIL 8, 2012) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF TRAMS IN THE TERMINUS FEET OF PEDESTRIAN CROSSING TRAM TRACKS PEOPLE WALKING PAST BUS STOP (SOUNDBITE) (French) LOCAL RESIDENT, CHRISTIANE VANDENBERGHE, SAYING: "Those are things that couldn't happen. I think that the level of violence is rising dramatically, and now one beats up or kills someone for nothing. It
  • Embargoed: 24th April 2012 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Belgium, Belgium
  • Country: Belgium
  • Topics: Crime,Transport
  • Reuters ID: LVA7HYCC817FHO0UJCWNLUWKO13E
  • Story Text: Brussels public transport halted in protest over worker killing.Bus, tram and metro drivers in Brussels walked out in protest on Saturday (April 7), vowing not to return to work until Tuesday (April 10) after a transport worker was beaten to death.
    The victim, an inspector with the STIB public transport service, had been called to investigate a minor collision between a bus and a car early on Saturday when he was attacked.
    The inspector, described by Belgian media as a 56-year-old man of Albanian origin who had worked for the STIB for 29 years, died of head injuries later in the day, prompting colleagues to cancel all services in the Belgian capital.
    Belgian media said the suspected assailant was arrested on Saturday afternoon.
    The country's royal prosecutor, Bruno Bluthe, said violence like this would not continue.
    "We said clearly that we will not tolerate that kind of behaviour. This is unfortunately the first time that we have had an incident of that level, with such terrible consequences. The man died. The family had the chance to see him before he died and I truly sympathise with the family, but I am here to tell you that this free violence is intolerable," he said.
    Belgian transport workers will hold safety talks with the government on Monday (April 9) to try to get tram, bus and metro services running again in Brussels after they were suspended on Saturday over the killing of an inspector.
    Talks had been brought forward from Tuesday to 5 p.m. (1500 GMT) on Monday, a spokeswoman for the STIB public transport service said.
    Workers have refused to restart services before the talks, paralysing public transport in the city serving as the seat of the European Commission and NATO as well as being Belgium's capital.
    At a meeting of workers at STIB headquarters, one accused representatives of repeatedly failing to do enough to protect workers.
    "You are always deceiving us. You are fooling us on security, on harmonising the service. You never stop," he shouted.
    Easter Monday is a holiday in Belgium.
    Locals in Brussels on Sunday (April 8) said the violence was intolerable, and the strikes were understandable.
    "Those are things that couldn't happen. I think that the level of violence is rising dramatically, and now one beats up or kills someone for nothing. It is scary," said local resident Christiane Vandenberghe.
    "It is annoying but it is normal to start a strike, to show its discontent regarding something that doesn't work," added another resident, Camille Oliver.
    Bus and tram drivers have faced violence before, but the STIB said this was the first time one of its staff had been killed.
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