One day strike paralyses Belgian ports
Antwerp may face yet more industrial action
The port of Antwerp, along with others Belgian ports was yesterday paralysed by a strike that drew in dockers, pilots, tugboats and lock operators.
Antwerp, the second largest port in Europe, saw all of its container side stop work along with some bulk cargo terminals shut for the day, with other vessel traffic delayed by the lack of harbour services.
Although it didn’t managed to completely black out the country, the 24-hour strike deeply affected transport including ships and barges because the movement is centred in French-speaking Wallonia, the large area that holds most of Belgium’s important waterway links.
The action by the Belgian unions is a protest against the government’s deficit reducing austerity measures. The coalition government is, amongst other things, raising taxes, raising the retirement age, aiming to freeze wages for the public sector, and putting an end to pay being index-linked.
The country is being badly hit and the Belgian government knows it is walking a tightrope, between bringing its public sector deficit below the EU limit of 3% of its gross domestic product and the other, almost more difficult problem of an economy which will not make its 0.8% growth target.
More industrial action may well follow as a series of strikes is being proposed by the unions.Images for this article - click to enlarge
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