The strike action by Brussels firefighters is continuing and intensifying on Thursday, the day after a meeting between Brussels Minister-President Boris Dilliès (MR) and the joint trade union front.
The unions consider the proposals put forward to be insufficient and have announced an even larger mobilisation.
"For us, this is completely inadequate. The action is continuing and gaining momentum," said Pablo Nyns (CGSP).
According to him, Thursday’s walkout is "the biggest since the start of the action" and Friday’s "may well be even stronger". Officers are also considering joining the action.
On Wednesday, Boris Dilliès met with trade union representatives to hear their demands and explore possible solutions.
The Minister-President reiterated that his government had introduced several measures, including the recruitment of 40 firefighters by the end of the year, new selection procedures and investments aimed at modernising the Siamu’s infrastructure and operational capabilities.
He called for the dialogue to continue, believing that solutions can only be found through consultation.
Fire brigade tackle a fire in the middle of Rue Beliard in the margins of a farmers' protest to denounce the reforms of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and unacceptable trade agreements, in Brussels, on Thursday 18 December 2025. Credit: Belga /. Timon Ramboer
The joint trade union front, however, believes that these announcements do not address the urgency of the situation. In its report, it emphasises that no concrete reinforcements are expected in the short term.
According to the trade unions, the language requirements for recruitment will not be finalised for around two months, and no new staff will be able to take up their posts for at least five months.
They also point out that the proposal to allocate around one million euros to Siamu is not accompanied by any quantified and dated commitment to immediately bolster on-call staffing levels and operational resources.
The campaign, launched on Tuesday as a joint trade union initiative, condemns in particular the staff shortages, working conditions and several management measures affecting staff.
Emergency meeting
In response, the Minister-President of Brussels, Boris Dilliès (MR), is convening an emergency meeting of his government at noon on Thursday to discuss the structural staff shortages and underfunding of the Brussels Fire Brigade.
The emergency cabinet meeting comes the day after a fruitless discussion with the joint trade union front.
Brussels Region Minister-President Boris Dillies addresses the Brussels Parliament in Brussels on Monday, 23 February 2026. Credit: Belga
Dilliès’s office confirmed that the Brussels Government would hold an urgent online meeting to discuss the matter and the strike.
It is not yet clear whether the political parties represented in the Brussels Government will issue a statement afterwards.
"That depends on how the meeting goes," said the spokesperson for Minister-President Dilliès, on whose initiative the Council of Ministers is convening urgently.
In any case, a solution must be found urgently. According to the unions, only 38 of the 172 firefighters were on duty on Thursday morning, representing 22 per cent of capacity under normal circumstances.
