Name: Belgium faces third day of national strike
Uploaded: 2025-11-26T17:30:03.269Z
Duration: 1 min 41 s
Description: Belgium’s third and final day of a national strike on Wednesday grounded most flights at Brussels Airport and disrupted public transport. The unions protest Prime Minister Bart De Wever’s pension and labor reforms, with Charleroi Airport also warning of major disruptions.

Belgium’s third and final day of a national strike on Wednesday grounded most flights at Brussels Airport and disrupted public transport. The unions protest Prime Minister Bart De Wever’s pension and labor reforms, with Charleroi Airport also warning of major disruptions.

Brussels

Belgium experienced the third and final day of a national strike, resulting in significant disruptions at Brussels International Airport, schools, and public transport. The strike was organized by the country's main labour unions in response to government proposals for pension and wage reforms, which unions argue unfairly impact workers.

The unrest follows the formation of a centre-right coalition government led by Prime Minister Mark de Wever, which initially proposed 20 billion euros in state funding cuts to address Belgium's deficit. After mass protests and negotiations, the cuts were reduced to 9.2 billion euros by 2029, but the compromise did not prevent continued industrial action as Belgium seeks to lower its deficit to meet European standards.

Belgium faces third day of national strike

Not a queue in sight. At the Brussels International Airport, ticket counters were closed, the halls nearly empty, for all departing flights were cancelled and more than half of its incoming ones as well. On the third and final day of a national strike in Belgium, union leaders expressed their continued frustration with the government's proposed pension and wage reforms. Belgium's three main labour unions say that the austerity measures are unfair to workers. The government decided to take some measures that will have a severe impact on all employees in Belgium. These measures have an impact on the pension of employees. These measures have an impact on the indexation mechanism that we have in Belgium that has an impact on the wages that people are being paid. Schools and public transport have also been affected by the strike, with protesters blocking depots and streets. The issue began roaring its head after the 2024 elections, with the Flemish nationalist and prime minister, Mark de Wever, managing to form a centre-right coalition. It proposed to cut state funding by 20 billion euros, to rein in Belgium's deficit. After drawn-out negotiations and mass protests this past October that brought out more than 100,000 people in Brussels, de Wever's coalition managed to come up with a multi-year budget plan last Monday. Instead of 20 billion euros in cuts, 9.2 billion euros by 2029 were agreed upon. But the compromise did not avert the strike, as Belgium continues to struggle to lower its deficit of 4.5 per cent and bring it closer to the European maximum of 3 per cent.

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