Conciliation meeting at NMBS comes to nothing: 48-hour double strike continues on the railways

The unions stated in the strike notice that they face “unilateral decisions on the part of management, aimed at increasing productivity among employees,” but managements “strongly oppose this.” They noted that the railways have approximately 85 joint bodies, with 800 official meetings annually, and thus “great attention is paid to social dialogue.”

At HR Rail, attention is drawn to the context of the strike, primarily the management agreements concluded by the Federal Government with NMBS and Infrabel at the end of 2022 for a period of ten years, with obligations relating to the provision of services and productivity. After that, work plans were drawn up and a social agreement was reached with the unions for the period 2023-2024. There are various projects proposed for concrete implementation. According to HR Rail, there was no shortage of concessions during the social consultation.

NMBS management denies that railway employees in particular are making the effort, as the unions claim. “Productivity increases happen at all levels,” he added.