STIB drivers back to work after week-long protest

STIB drivers back to work after week-long protest
Credit: Belga

STIB's public transport network is back to normal on Monday morning, following a week of disturbances as drivers protested for a change in working conditions.

Brussels' public transport network tweeted early on Monday that all bus, tram and metro lines on its network were running according to schedule.

In a protest coinciding with the first week of shops reopening in Belgium, bus and tram drivers had walked off work citing their right of retreat from the workplace, demanding increased sanitary measures as the lockdown was relaxed.

Related News

At the height of the protest, up to 70% of drivers had dropped work and joined the movement, which the company said was done independently of unions.

STIB spokesperson Françoise Ledune said that the return to work came after an agreement offering some concessions to drivers was reached with unions on Thursday.

While a representative of the movement on Friday refused the agreement, saying it did not respond to their demands, Ledune said the deal was set to be signed later on Monday morning, something which was dependent on drivers' "immediate return to work."

At the weekend, return to work varied throughout the network, some 77% of tram drivers and around 35% of bus drivers back on the job on Saturday, La Dernière Heure reports.

Gabriela Galindo

The Brussels Times


Copyright © 2024 The Brussels Times. All Rights Reserved.