What to expect as Belgium faces third day of strikes against austerity measures

Belgium faced nationwide disruption on Wednesday as trade unions staged the final day of a three-day strike against government austerity measures, with parts of the private sector joining the action for the first time.

Public transport remained heavily affected, though more trams, buses and trains were running than in previous days. The education sector will also see continued disruption, with some teachers striking for the second day in a row.

Belgium's two major airports are experiencing significant disruptions. No flights will depart from or arrive at Charleroi Airport, while Brussels Airport has cancelled all departures and is expecting potential issues with incoming flights as well.

"Due to the national day of action planned for Wednesday 26 November by a united front of trade unions and the lack of staff available to ensure safe operations, Charleroi Airport will not be able to operate scheduled departures and arrivals," the Belgian capital's second-busiest airport wrote in a statement.

Ports in Flanders also faced operational issues, according to Belga news agency, with dozens of vessels unable to enter or leave the ports of Antwerp, Ghent and Zeebrugge.

Several supermarkets closed, but the impact remains limited and instead is felt more heavily in shop depots, Flemish public broadcaster VRT reported.

Multiple prisons nationwide are also experiencing disruptions, with police and Red Cross staff temporarily taking over duties after prison employees walked off the job.

While the strikes largely concerned the public sector, several companies in the private sector will also join the action on Wednesday, VRT wrote.

Why have trade unions called for the strike?

The multi-day action, organised by Belgium's three largest trade unions, kicked off on Monday, despite the fact that the five-party coalition government reached a long-delayed budget deal that same day after 20 hours of talks.

Tax hikes on certain products and services, and cuts in government spending are expected to lower the federal deficit by €9.2 billion by 2029.

Belgium’s budget deficit stood at 4.5% at the end of 2024, with national debt exceeding 100% of GDP. This breaches EU rules, which require member states to keep its budget deficit below 3% and debt levels under 60% of GDP.

The deal prompted mixed responses. While trade unions expressed contentment with some of the outlined measures, many still believe the agreement falls short of their demands.

"I don't think it's a balanced agreement," Chair of trade union ABVV Bert Engelaar said on Monday during a debate on Flemish political programme 'De Afspraak', adding that he thinks the deal is just the beginning and more measures will likely have to follow in order to make up for Belgium's deficit.

"For as long that we're not sitting at the [negotiation] table, this is only a first step," Engelaar added.

Several politicians involved in the negotiations acknowledged that reaching a budget deal demands confronting difficult issues and making significant compromises.

Belgium’s Prime Minister Bart De Wever also admitted that much work still lies ahead, "This is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is perhaps the end of the beginning," he said quoting Winston Churchill.

Nationwide strikes had been growing bigger and more frequent as public frustration has grown over the government’s fiscal plans aimed at tackling Belgium’s high national debt.

The country has experienced 25 train strikes this year alone, VRT reported, noting that the number of teachers participating in strikes has also reached a record high. For the first time since 2001, teachers staged walkouts on two consecutive days.