Belgium - Rail unions file urgent appeal - January 31, 2026

The long-running railway labour dispute took a fresh twist on 29 January 2026 when the unions of train operator SNCB/NMBS lodged an urgent appeal with the Council of State. The move comes after HR Rail — the human-resources arm of SNCB and infrastructure manager Infrabel — rejected a strike notice covering 5, 10 and 12 February, arguing that unions had skipped mandatory consultation steps. Workers’ representatives from CGSP Cheminots/ACOD Spoor insist the rejection undermines social dialogue and breaches freedom of association. The Council of State will have to decide quickly; if it overturns the refusal, the country could face a fresh wave of rail stoppages just days after a disruptive five-day walkout ended on 30 January.

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For more information, please contact Paul de Beer or Oana Ciuca, De Burcht (Scientific Bureau for the Dutch Trade Union Movement) p.t.debeer@uva.nl or the Head of communications at the ETUI, Mehmet Koksal mkoksal@etui.org. For previous full issues of the Collective bargaining newsletter please visit https://www.etui.org/Newsletters/Collective-bargaining-newsletter or consult the archive with all articles in our database at www.cbnarchive.eu. You may find further information on the ETUI at www.etui.org.