Rail strike on 18 October

The social unrest among Belgian rail employees of the NMBS continues. A national rail strike has been announced for Monday 18 October by the socialist trades union, as employees are unhappy with the restructuring plans for the cargo unit and the higher prices for tickets.

The socialist trades union ACOD has called on its members to hold a national strike on 18 October. The Christian trades union is not taking part in the strike, and has announced that it is not planning to take industrial action before the end of October. However, it is feared that rail traffic will be heavily disrupted.

The federal minister responsible for publicly-owned companies, Inge Vervotte (Flemish Christian democrat), is still hoping to avoid the strike by negotiating. She fears that the strike will further damage the already dented image of the NMBS at a time when the Belgian rail company is facing heavy criticism due to the many delays.

Trades unions are unhappy with the restructuring plans of the cargo unit NMBS Logistics, formerly known as B-Cargo. They fear lay-offs and poor working conditions for those who can stay on. At the same time, they disagree with the plans of the NMBS management to raise ticket prices. Considering the present climate, it's not a good time to introduce higher ticket prices, they say.

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