A nationwide strike in protest against possible pension reforms crippled air and rail traffic on 13 January and many schools remained shut. Almost half of all flights at Brussels airport were cancelled as luggage handlers, security and other ground staff went on strike, while national train operator NMBS said it was running only a limited number of trains throughout the country. Government formation talks have dragged on for months without any real progress, as the five parties at the table continue to disagree on government finances and the contested pension reforms. The unions fear that the next Government, currently being formed, will introduce lower pensions, less favourable conditions for pensioners and longer careers.
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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.