London, 21 December (Argus) — Public sector strikes in Belgium will disrupt transport from tonight, with ports and railways affected as workers walk out in protest against pension reforms.
Belgium's new government, which took more than 500 days to form, introduced sharp reforms within weeks of taking office, including raising the retirement age. The government is effectively asking people to work longer for smaller pensions, the Belgian general workers union said.
“The speed at which the government introduced these reforms has caused a lot of anger, especially as there has been no consultation,” the union said. At the port of Antwerp, which handled 178.2mn t of freight last year, those going on strike include “pilots” who are used to guide ships in and out of the port, and lock operators.
None of Belgium's ports will close, but a spokesman at Antwerp's 24-hour port said there will be a reduction in service and possible delays for vessels entering and leaving along the River Scheldt.
Barges will not be affected but larger cargoes could be when the strike begins at 17:00 CET today.
Ship captains going in and out of the port often used a local pilot to guide them along the Scheldt, which is known to be difficult to navigate, according to the port of Antwerp. “We will not know the extent of the disruption to the port until tomorrow when it is clear how many workers are on strike. There are also some Dutch pilots available who will not be striking, but there will certainly be delays.”
Railways are already affected by workers walking out today with many trains cancelled and delayed across Belgium. There is traffic congestion on the roads as people opt to use their cars instead. This is expected to get worse tomorrow as more people join the planned strike. Railcars carrying freight such as petrochemicals and oil products are operated by private companies but they travel on the public railtracks, which are operated by state-owned company Infrabel. There will be some disruption to freight transport. No one at Infrabel was available for comment.
A general strike over the pension reforms is planned for 30 January 2012.
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