Workers at the Brussels Intercommunal Transport Company, STIB, went on an “emotional” strike on Monday morning after three controllers were aggressed the night before at about 8.30 in the Peterbos area in Anderlecht, the transport company confirmed. The STIB officials were checking tickets and passes in a bus when one young man refused to comply. He was quickly joined by others, who encircled the controllers and dealt them several blows.
“One of the controllers was struck in the temple and another just above the eye, which had to be stitched,” Stib spokesman Guy Sablon said. The youths had vanished by the time the police arrived on the scene. The law enforcers were therefore unable to make any arrests, but the investigation into the incident is ongoing.
Peterbos has the reputation of being a tough neighbourhood. However, Stib controllers will not stop checking commuters there. “Our quality charter stipulates that we need to check each stop a certain number of times, so we’ll continue carrying out these checks” Sablon said.
Stib said the strike action had no direct impact on commuters on Monday morning and that safety along its network was being ensured by the police. The strike, described as “emotional”, therefore had no effect on its network, Stib stressed.
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The Brussels Times
