At Swissport Cargo, the hander of cargo aircraft at Brussels Airport, the staff stopped working around 16:00 due to the discovery of asbestos in one of their warehouses.
Asbestos was found by the inspection during renovation works of the warehouses in over a hundred places, and the company did not want to take unnecessary measures.
The trade unions demand that the works be stopped and that a specialized company is called in to check if there is still asbestos.
"If the employees have been working in a dust cloud with asbestos particles in recent months, the company must assume its responsibility," said Hans Elsen of the ACV trade union.
Swissport, airport operator Brussels Airport Company and the contractor are all pointing fingers at each other for the oversight. If the management does not comply with the requirements, the unions threaten that the night shift will not start working.
A meeting with the management is planned at 19:00, said Elsen.
Maïthé Chini
The Brussels Times
