First day of summer vacation: waiting up to an hour by trade… (Brussels)

Brussels –

A trade union action at customs causes disruption at Brussels Airport. Arriving travelers had to queue up until one o’clock on Thursday morning. The unions want to campaign all day long.

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On this first summer holiday day, actions were announced at customs at the airports of Zaventem, Deurne, Wevelgem and Ostend. The unions say they have not received a satisfactory answer to their demands for better work planning. They also require pension measures and a risk premium.

There was already disruption on Thursday morning at Brussels Airport, the largest airport in the country. At one point, arriving passengers in particular had to queue for half an hour to an hour, says airport spokesman Ihsane Chioua Lekhli. The customs officers hold punctuality actions, which means that they check very closely.

The unions of the FPS Finance have been rumbling for some time now. Customs demands, among other things, better working conditions. “Evidently, even a relatively simple adjustment of the rigid work planning system could not be allowed. As a result, customs officers no longer have a balance between work and private life,” says Peter Veltmans of the ACOD. “Everyone continued to work during the crisis. There were fewer passengers, but more parcels to be processed. We continued to do this in very difficult circumstances and in strict bubbles”, says Stefaan Slaghmuylder.

The customs officers expect extra colleagues, remuneration in relation to the work or risks, but also investments in equipment.

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They ask Finance Minister Vincent Van Peteghem (CD&V) for urgent action. “He likes to show off the results achieved by customs in the fight against the drug mafia and other organized crime, but it is high time that people realized that customs needed people and resources. These actions also show that.”

If no concessions are made, further actions are not excluded. “We will make an evaluation at the end of the day and see what reactions there are,” says Johan Lippens of ACV Public Services. “It is not our intention to hostage travelers during the entire holiday. Ultimately, we take actions to give a signal.”

20,000 departures

Arriving passengers are particularly affected by the actions. The nuisance is limited for departing passengers. Although there is uncertainty about the extent to which the corona certificate is checked.

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On this first day of the summer holiday, 35,000 travelers are expected at Brussels Airport. This will be the first peak day, although the influx remains modest compared to the period before the corona crisis.

“It is much less than on a normal peak day of around 95,000 passengers, but we are already very happy that it is going in the right direction,” said airport spokesman Ihsane Chioua Lekhli. “Today is a peak day, but we also have more than 20,000 departing passengers over the next three days. So a long departure weekend starts.”

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