JFortune
10-07-2005, 01:00 PM
~~Power To The People~~
Belgium Hit With 1-Day National Strike
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By CONSTANT BRAND Associated Press Writer
October 07,2005 | BRUSSELS, Belgium -- Construction sites, car plants, public transportation and the port of Antwerp were shut down Friday as workers took part in a one-day national strike to protest government plans to push back the national retirement age.
Belgium's first general strike since 1993 was called by the nation's largest socialist union to protest Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt's attempt to raise Belgium's retirement age from 58 to 60 as a way to cut social security and pension costs.
Friday shifts at General Motors Corp.'s Opel car plant in Antwerp and the Ford Motor Co. plant in Genk were canceled.
Trains stopped running late Thursday ahead of Friday's action and the Channel high-speed Eurostar train suspended its services to Brussels due to the strike, stranding some travelers. Brussels' central station was boarded up.
The Paris-to-Amsterdam high-speed Thalys train, which stops in Brussels, was also canceled. Rail service was expected to resume late Friday night.
Picket lines were set up outside several car plants, postal sorting stations, the port in Antwerp and European Union headquarters in Brussels, though EU offices remained open.
"Working later in life is not possible for certain professions," said striking chef Stephane Walravens, 36, who works at the European Commission. "The government wants us to work more, but we are not OK with that."
Karel Van Eetvelt, chairman of Belgium's business lobby group Unizo, said the strike would hinder efforts to get a negotiated deal on social reforms.
"You have to choose. Either you take strike action or you get together and sit at the table to talk. The two cannot work together," Van Eetvelt told VRT radio.
Xavier Verboven, head of the ABVV-FGTB union, said the strike would put pressure on the government not to do away with early retirement schemes.
"We are fighting for justice and rights of our workers, that they will not be penalized here under these reforms," he said. "We are going to the negotiating table with a stronger mandate."
Verhofstadt said he understood worker concerns, but said his reforms were not meant to force people to work longer or cut pensions.
"It's not the goal that everyone will have to work until they are 65, though we are trying to curb early retirement schemes," Verhofstadt told daily Het Nieuwsblad. "The goal is to get more people working, so that we can continue to pay for our social security system, and to keep our social security level high."
At Antwerp's harbor, union workers blocked off access roads, forcing the closure of the port. The strike affected most public transportation services, prisons, factories and some schools, but not health services. Federal police took over security and guard duty at jails where guards joined the strike.
At Brussels international airport, officials reported no cancelations or major delays, despite baggage handlers joining the picket line. The cargo terminal at the airport, however, was shut down due to strike action. All flights Friday at Charleroi airport were canceled, reports said.
Verhofstadt was to continue talks over the weekend with unions and the employers' federation.
The government said it needs to keep people in their jobs longer to meet the challenges of an aging society with rising pension costs and potentially lower income.
Verhofstadt is trying to get a deal this weekend. If a deal remains elusive, other unions said they could join in a larger national strike later in the month
Belgium Hit With 1-Day National Strike
- - - - - - - - - - - -
By CONSTANT BRAND Associated Press Writer
October 07,2005 | BRUSSELS, Belgium -- Construction sites, car plants, public transportation and the port of Antwerp were shut down Friday as workers took part in a one-day national strike to protest government plans to push back the national retirement age.
Belgium's first general strike since 1993 was called by the nation's largest socialist union to protest Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt's attempt to raise Belgium's retirement age from 58 to 60 as a way to cut social security and pension costs.
Friday shifts at General Motors Corp.'s Opel car plant in Antwerp and the Ford Motor Co. plant in Genk were canceled.
Trains stopped running late Thursday ahead of Friday's action and the Channel high-speed Eurostar train suspended its services to Brussels due to the strike, stranding some travelers. Brussels' central station was boarded up.
The Paris-to-Amsterdam high-speed Thalys train, which stops in Brussels, was also canceled. Rail service was expected to resume late Friday night.
Picket lines were set up outside several car plants, postal sorting stations, the port in Antwerp and European Union headquarters in Brussels, though EU offices remained open.
"Working later in life is not possible for certain professions," said striking chef Stephane Walravens, 36, who works at the European Commission. "The government wants us to work more, but we are not OK with that."
Karel Van Eetvelt, chairman of Belgium's business lobby group Unizo, said the strike would hinder efforts to get a negotiated deal on social reforms.
"You have to choose. Either you take strike action or you get together and sit at the table to talk. The two cannot work together," Van Eetvelt told VRT radio.
Xavier Verboven, head of the ABVV-FGTB union, said the strike would put pressure on the government not to do away with early retirement schemes.
"We are fighting for justice and rights of our workers, that they will not be penalized here under these reforms," he said. "We are going to the negotiating table with a stronger mandate."
Verhofstadt said he understood worker concerns, but said his reforms were not meant to force people to work longer or cut pensions.
"It's not the goal that everyone will have to work until they are 65, though we are trying to curb early retirement schemes," Verhofstadt told daily Het Nieuwsblad. "The goal is to get more people working, so that we can continue to pay for our social security system, and to keep our social security level high."
At Antwerp's harbor, union workers blocked off access roads, forcing the closure of the port. The strike affected most public transportation services, prisons, factories and some schools, but not health services. Federal police took over security and guard duty at jails where guards joined the strike.
At Brussels international airport, officials reported no cancelations or major delays, despite baggage handlers joining the picket line. The cargo terminal at the airport, however, was shut down due to strike action. All flights Friday at Charleroi airport were canceled, reports said.
Verhofstadt was to continue talks over the weekend with unions and the employers' federation.
The government said it needs to keep people in their jobs longer to meet the challenges of an aging society with rising pension costs and potentially lower income.
Verhofstadt is trying to get a deal this weekend. If a deal remains elusive, other unions said they could join in a larger national strike later in the month