Staff at Flemish public transport company De Lijn will go on strike from 21 December but have not set an end date, the unions confirmed on Wednesday.
The strike announcement came after the failure to reach an agreement with De Lijn management on the operation of the technical service.
"One in seven spare parts for repairing buses arrive too late at the workplace," Stan Reusen of the Flemish socialist trade union ACOD TBM said.
Additionally, they are calling for an increase in all wages in the technical service. Management would only like to increase the salaries of hard-to-find technicians, Reusen explained.
The strike will have "a big impact" and affect the whole of Flanders and all De Lijn sections, according to Reusen.
"The solidarity of other professional categories, such as drivers, will certainly be felt. Dissatisfaction is felt everywhere. Social consultation is almost at a standstill," he said.
The unions announced that their strike will start "from" 21 December, but they have not set an end date.
"It will depend on the reaction of management and the agreements we can reach with them," Jo Van der Herten of the Christian trade union ACV Public Services said.
The Brussels Times
