A nationwide strike is taking place on Thursday in Belgium, with major disruptions expected at airports and train stations, while municipalities and other public institutions are closed. Other events taking place in Brussels will cause further travel delays. This is the latest information – for updates check our live coverage on Thursday from 07:30.
A more recent article was published with the latest information on Thursday 13 February. Follow for live updates here.
The joint union front is organising a day of action against the new Federal Government's public spending cuts. Tens of thousands of workers in the public and private sectors will go on strike, of whom around 60,000 people will likely take part in a demonstration in Brussels, starting at 10:30. As a result, multiple services across the country will grind to a halt.
Major traffic disruption is expected throughout the day in Brussels, the Brussels-Capital/Ixelles police zone noted on social media. Aside from the forecasted national demonstration and strike, a NATO summit is taking place, the Bright festival will be launched, and the Europa League match between Union Saint-Gilloise and Ajax will be played at the King Baudouin Stadium.
"Remember to make the necessary arrangements, and consider teleworking, travelling by train, carpooling or using another means of transport to get around," the police warned. Find out what disruption to expect in Brussels and Belgium more widely.
National strike disruptions:
Public transport & traffic
- Brussels public transport operator STIB: serious disruptions are expected. In the past, only one metro line was running (usually line 1) and several tram and bus lines were interrupted. The exact services which are affected will be confirmed early on Thursday morning.
- Flemish public transport operator De Lijn: fewer bus and tram services will be operating across the region. De Lijn's alternative service can be found on its website.
- Walloon public transport operator TEC: several routes will be cancelled. Passengers will be informed of the affected buses on Thursday morning via the TEC website.
In all regions, passengers are advised to find alternative modes of transport where possible. People who arrive late to work or school because of disruptions can get a certificate via the STIB, De Lijn and TEC websites.
- National railway operator SNCB: train services will continue as usual, as a strike request was not submitted to ensure as many protesters as possible can travel into Brussels. SNCB warned commuters that it expects many passengers on the trains to and from Brussels, and is deploying extra trains to the capital for this reason.
- Traffic problems; police expect disruption from 09:00 to 14:00. Drivers are advised to avoid Boulevard Albert II (Gare du Nord), Boulevard du Jardin Botanique, the Small Ring Road (R20), Boulevard du Midi and Esplanade de l'Europe (Gare du Midi). Parking will be banned along most of the route from 08:00. From 10:00, the Reyers Tunnel, Tervueren Tunnel towards Loi and all tunnels on the inner Ring Road from Charles Quint will be closed off.
Flights
- Brussels Airport in Zaventem: all flights scheduled to depart on Thursday have been cancelled. Because air traffic controllers are also striking, arriving flights are also cancelled between 06:45 and 22:15.
- Brussels-South Airport in Charleroi: again, all departing flights have been cancelled. Initially, only incoming Schengen flights would be operating, but again, these will also be cancelled.
- Smaller airports: Flights up to an altitude of 7,500 meters will not take off or land between 06:45 and 22:15.
A few flights by certain airlines, such as TUI Fly, are being diverted to airports in nearby countries.
Other disrupted services
- Postal services: Bpost workers will also go on strike. Letter and parcel delivery is expected to be disrupted, especially in Brussels and Wallonia.
- Port of Antwerp: Activity at the port of Antwerp will also be disrupted, affecting the locks and the service provided by tugboats. Private towing services and container terminals should operate more or less normally, as should the mooring and unmooring of ships.
- Rubbish collection services: in a wide range of communes, from Brussels and Antwerp to Kraainem and Londerzeel, scheduled rubbish collections will not go ahead as planned. Bruxelles-Propreté has asked people not to put their bags out on the street. Check your local commune's website to check whether collections are disrupted. Some waste and recycling centres will also be closed.
- Administrative services: the City of Brussels and Saint-Josse-ten-Noode have confirmed their administrative services will be disrupted. Again, check your local commune's website for more information.
- Schools: education unions are also taking part in the strike. One month ago, more than 30,000 teachers went on strike. Unions expect the impact to be considerable again on Thursday. In theory, schools must provide free childcare, however, if there is a lack of staff to supervise, schools can decide to close.
- Prisons: minimum occupancy levels will not be met in many prisons are guards will take part in the strike en masse.
Bright Festival
From Thursday 13 to Sunday 16 February, the Bright Festival will be taking place in the City of Brussels. During the event, several streets will be closed to traffic between 18:30 and midnight.
These include Rue de Ligne, Rue du Bois Sauvage, Rue du Marquis, Rue des Paroissiens, Place Sainte-Gudule, Treurenberg, Place du Congrès, Rue de la Banque and Rue Montagne de l'Oratoire.
Europa League match
The Europa League match Union Saint-Gilloise versus Ajax will be played at 18:45 in the King Baudouin Stadium in the north of Brussels. Traffic disruption is expected in the streets around the stadium located on the Heysel.
NATO summit
A NATO summit will be held in Brussels on Wednesday 12 and Thursday 13 February between 09:00 and 17:00. However, police confirmed to The Brussels Times that there will be little specific disruption caused by this meeting. During previous high-stakes summits, this has resulted in police escorts causing minor blockages.
The Brussels Times will be providing live coverage of the strike and demonstration on Thursday.
