Crystal Dike
Tens of thousands of protesters flooded the streets of Brussels on Tuesday as Belgium’s three major trade unions launched a nationwide strike over government reforms and austerity measures.
The strike, aimed at opposing spending cuts and pension reforms introduced by Prime Minister Bart De Wever’s centre-right government, brought much of the country’s transport system to a standstill.
By midday, police estimated that about 80,000 people had joined the demonstrations in the Belgian capital. Many marched through central Brussels wearing red and green — the colours of the main unions — and carried placards denouncing the government’s policies.
The protests disrupted air, rail, and sea travel across the country. All flights at Charleroi Airport were cancelled, while Brussels Airport suspended most departures and many arrivals. Although some trains continued to operate, buses, trams, and metro services in the capital came to a halt.
At Antwerp Port, Europe’s second-largest, shipping operations were suspended until Wednesday due to staff shortages, leaving more than 100 vessels stranded in the North Sea awaiting permission to dock.
Union leaders condemned the government’s planned reforms, which include increasing the number of working days required before retirement, ending special pension schemes for sectors such as the military and railways, and capping unemployment benefits at two years.
Thierry Bodson, leader of the ABVV union, told demonstrators that “the fight against the De Wever government is not just the fight of a day or a year — it’s for a whole generation.”
Public sector workers also voiced anger over additional austerity measures announced at regional levels. In the Walloon region, authorities recently declared that teachers in higher secondary schools would be required to work two extra hours per week — a move that has drawn strong opposition from educators.
“It’s about time we came together,” said Anaïs, 29, a protester in Brussels. “We are asked to work more, to work longer hours. It’s not fair.”
Although the protests were largely peaceful, police reported isolated incidents of vandalism and arson earlier in the day, with masked individuals clashing with officers near the city centre.
Belgium has experienced a series of strikes since De Wever’s Flemish nationalist-led government came to power in February 2025, as it pushes to reduce the nation’s budget deficit through sweeping fiscal reforms.