Monday's strike to disrupt train traffic across the country

The planned provincial strike on Monday is expected to cause widespread disruption to train services across the whole country, rail authority SNCB has warned.

The strike is the first in a series of actions organised by the provinces and covers Antwerp, Limburg, Luxembourg and Hainaut. However, the local actions are likely to have a knock-on effect in areas not taking part, the SNCB said.

“The actions will take place in the north-east and the south-west of the country,” the authority said in a statement. “Due to their positioning, and the configuration of the network, there is the risk of a nationwide effect on train traffic.” It advised passengers to seek alternative means of transport between Sunday evening and Monday evening.

Disruption will also be felt by international traffic, including Thalys, Eurostar, TGV and ICE trains. Flemish transport authority De Lijn said it was probable that tram and bus services would be affected but didn’t yet know the extent.

The next provincial action is due on December 1, involving East and West Flanders, Namur and Liège. A week later Flemish and Walloon Brabant and Brussels will be hit, and on December 15 a national strike is planned.

The strike is expected to hit the port of Antwerp hard, with four mobile picket lines planned to disrupt traffic in and out of the port area. Schools in the city, particularly primary schools, are expected to be closed, as are crèches run by the city. Municipal services are also expected to experience some trouble.

photo: The demonstration in Brussels against government austerity measures brought about 120,000 union protestors into the streets earlier this month

©Ye Pingfan/Xinhua Press/Corbis