Next Thursday there will be almost certainly a 24 hour strike of the railways. Sources of the trade unions and the NMBS have said this.
The two major railway trade unions are dissatisfied by the negotiations with the NMBS-direction about B-cargo, the cargo division of the NMBS, and applied for a 24 hour strike. The strike will run from Wednesday evening 4 November 22 hours to Thursday, 5 November 22 hours.
The NMBS wants to create a private judicial company from B-cargo, but in this new company there will be no place for all 900 employees of B-cargo. The trade unions are protesting against the fact that there is still no clarity about what will happen with all those employees. Jannie Haeck, CEO of the NMBS holding company, says he understands the nervousness of the trade unions. But, the cargo compartment of the NMBS is heavily losing profit. This year there is a loss of EUR 188 million being recorded, after a loss of EUR 85 million in 2008.
Although there were already many meetings, both formal and informal, there were in fact no real negotiations. The direction of the NMBS talked in first instance only about a scenario where the working conditions were handled heavily and in a second phase for a total management of the carriage of goods, not about redundancy dismissals. That’s why the trade unions are complaining at this moment.
Not a single moment the trade union had the feeling that the NMBS really wanted a negotiated solution, with mutual agreement, the ACOD said. The Socialist Union really wants to avoid a second ABX-drama.
That there will be a strike is as well as certain. The total traffic, both passenger transport (including international trains) as the transport of goods, will be immobilized on 5 November. Accidentally, it’s my birthday then. I hope I don’t have to take the train that day. That’s why I hate strikes, especially when thousands of people are trapped because of it. But on the other hand when I must be in the situation of those employees, maybe I would do the same…
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My opinion is that the NMNS stikes to much. If there is a problem and they don't get the right solution immediately the go on strike. The company can't create more jobs if there are no jobs available and if it costs to much money. I know it's not always easy to find a good solution, but I think that a strike isn't always a good way to reach your goal.
BeantwoordenVerwijderenJonas Hillemans
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