(eng)Belgian unions suspend strikes after day of chaos
The Anarchives (tao@presence.lglobal.com)
Sun, 24 Dec 1995 00:00:22 +0000 (GMT)
^Belgian unions suspend strikes after day of chaos@
(Updates with suspension of strikes, details)
By Bert Lauwers
BRUSSELS, Dec 20 (Reuter) - Striking workers at Belgium's
national airline Sabena clashed with police at Brussels airport
on Wednesday, adding to the chaos facing passengers after the
carrier cancelled flights for the second day in a row.
But, satisfied with the impact of their two-day action,
trade unions decided late on Wednesday to suspend all further
strikes until early January.
``So as not to take holidaymakers hostage during the
end-of-year festivities, all strike action will be suspended
during this period and Sabena personnel will do everything to
fully serve passengers during the festivities,'' the unions said
in a statement to the Belga agency.
But they said they were planning ``alternative actions'' in
the end-of-year period and warned Sabena they would take tougher
steps early in January if the airline's management did not
resume dialogue with personnel.
A crowd of about 2,000 jeering protesters threw stones,
breaking glass doors of the recently opened airport terminal, as
well as eggs and firecrackers as police barred them from
entering the airport terminal.
Police later turned water cannons on demonstrators who
invaded the tarmac, before rounding them up. They briefly
detained almost 300 people including 15 reporters and cameramen.
No injuries were reported.
The BATC company which operates the terminal said the
demonstration and four recent days of strikes had cost it at
least 50 million francs ($1.7 million francs) in lost income,
mainly from passenger taxes, and damage to the terminal.
``All the doors are broken, security and air conditioning
systems are wrecked, everything has to be replaced,'' BATC
secretary general Lucien Roelants told Reuters.
Sabena had cancelled or diverted all its flights to and from
Brussels for a second consecutive day, saying it was unable to
guarantee passenger safety.
Sabena staff are angry at the company's cancellation of
collective labour agreements and plans to freeze wages for three
years and raise working hours at peak periods.
Other public sector workers, all disgruntled with government
spending cuts and fearing for their jobs and pension privileges,
joined the demonstrators.
``The demonstration...with delegations from all parts of the
country, private and public sector, reaffirmed the solidarity of
workers with the fight of Sabena personnel,'' the trade unions'
statement said.
While air passengers faced frustration, most of Belgium's
rail traffic returned to normal on Wednesday after suffering
near-paralysis on Tuesday due to strikes by workers at the SNCB
national railway company.
Railway workers are protesting against the SNCB board's
approval, without union consultation, of a 10-year restructuring
plan which includes 70 billion Belgian francs ($2.36 billion) in
austerity measures and 8,500 job cuts.
Late on Tuesday railway union leaders called off the strike
after Belgian Transport Minister Michel Daerden told them the
government would not decide on the plan for a few more weeks to
make time for talks, due to begin on Thursday.
Union officials say the rail and air strikes are part of a
campaign to force the centre-left government of Prime Minister
Jean-Luc Dehaene to abandon sweeping budget cuts.