Belgium Grinds to Halt as Nationwide Strike Hits Services

Belgium faced widespread disruption on Monday 12 October 2026 as public-sector workers staged a nationwide strike against the federal government’s budget proposals and austerity measures. The action, called primarily by the CGSP, the public-services arm of the socialist FGTB union, hit transport, postal services, waste collection and public broadcasting, and was timed for the eve of Prime Minister Bart De Wever’s general policy speech before the federal Parliament.

According to RTBF, travellers were warned of reduced or uncertain service across the LETEC, De Lijn and STIB public transport networks, on the railways, in public enterprises and in public broadcasting — including RTBF itself and, especially, the Flemish public broadcaster VRT.

A Strike Aimed at the Budget

The central grievance is the federal government’s budget consolidation effort. Belgium is governed by the so-called “Arizona” coalition led by De Wever (N-VA), which must close a deficit reported at €33 billion and find roughly €10 billion in savings.

“There will be a lot of action in the public service on Monday,” Stéphane Jaumonet, federal secretary of the ministries sector at CGSP, told RTBF. He said pickets in ministries would be “filtering” rather than “blocking,” with leaflets explaining the union’s demands: defending civil-servant status, pensions, full wage indexation, and a series of acquired rights “from sick-leave days and telework to the right to strike.”

Jaumonet singled out the removal of the right to strike for prison staff through requisition, following a dispute over minimum service in prisons that the CGSP socialist union previously branded a “traitor” by the Justice Minister.

Although the Christian CSC public services branch did not formally call a strike — opting instead for a sensitization action — Jaumonet said a de facto joint union front was in place in many workplaces. “It is very difficult to say [Monday’s strike will not take place] as a joint union front, because depending on the location, the joint union front is united,” he said, citing teachers and public transport.

Transport, Post and Waste Disrupted

On the railways, SNCB announced that 7 of 10 intercity trains would run on Monday, with reduced service beginning Sunday at 22:00, as RTBF reported. The operator said the trains that would run were those linking major cities, with one in two local and suburban trains operating. “SNCB and Infrabel deeply regret this action and its consequences for travellers,” the company said in a statement.

In Wallonia, LETEC warned of possible disruption across its entire network, without specifying the proportion of buses or lines affected. In Flanders, De Lijn announced an alternative service, and in Brussels, STIB said disruption was possible without detailing the extent.

At Brussels South Charleroi Airport, flights were maintained normally, but access to the terminal could be complicated by pickets. No confirmed impact was available for Brussels Airport at the time of reporting.

The postal service Bpost expected disruption similar to the previous Friday, varying by region. As RTBF reported, most rounds were completed in Flanders (95%), compared with 70% in Wallonia. In Hainaut, no picket stood outside the Jumet sorting centre, but many postal workers were on strike — choosing instead to support workers in other sectors, notably outside Jamioulx prison.

“If we block a post office today, it can have a financial impact for certain agents who could be sent home without pay for the day,” Charles Kinif, the CGSP representative for Bpost workers in Hainaut, told RTBF. “So we came here to support our comrades, the prison guards.”

Waste collection was also expected to be disrupted, certainly in the Brussels Region, where Bruxelles-Propreté said it would need several days to return to normal.

Broadcasting Hit, Especially at the VRT

In public broadcasting, a strike notice was filed at RTBF by both the CGSP and the CSC. Management expected programming to be largely unaffected, apart from “On n’est pas des pigeons” being replaced by a “best of” on La Une.

At the VRT, however, the Flemish CGSP warned that consequences would be significant. “Only a few news programmes will be able to be broadcast with a minimum reduced staff,” it said. The broadcaster is under heavy economic pressure: after its own budget conclave, the Flemish government decided to trim VRT’s budget by several million euros by the end of the legislature, on top of a transformation plan adopted at the end of 2025 targeting around €25 million in structural savings, as RTBF reported.

A Government Under Strain

The strike unfolded against a backdrop of political paralysis. De Wever announced the postponement of his budget speech because of the lack of agreement within his coalition. Budget talks broke off without a deal earlier in October, with a new meeting set for the following Wednesday, as RTBF reported.

Vice-Premier Minister Jan Jambon (N-VA, Finance) said the atmosphere was good and Saturday’s meeting constructive, “but there is still a lot of work.” Budget Minister Vincent Van Peteghem (CD&V) added that “there is still a lot on the plate.”

Friction points centred on health-care savings, possible VAT increases and reform of the BIM increased-reimbursement status. The liberal MR opposed new taxes, favouring spending cuts, while Les Engagés worried about the imbalance of measures and their impact on vulnerable groups. On Tuesday 13 October, De Wever announced a new deadline for the federal budget, pushing it to late October or early November, as RTBF reported — the very deadline day originally set for him to present a budget to the Chamber.

What to Watch

The strike reflects a country caught between fiscal urgency and social resistance. Belgium has not ended a year with a balanced budget since 2007, and total interest payments on the debt have climbed to €16.7 billion — more than the defence budget.

The scale of Monday’s participation and the coalition’s ability to reach a budget agreement will determine whether industrial action broadens. Unions have threatened a possible general strike on 23 November, and the CGSP was set to decide on 9 November whether to call further action. For now, the standoff between a government seeking €10 billion in savings and a public sector defending its acquired rights remains unresolved.