Staff at several locks stopped work on Monday morning, the Flemish Waterways Agency confirmed on Monday. The ACV union indicates that these spontaneous actions stem from dissatisfaction with the negotiations on the new staff status within the Flemish administration.
The work stoppages affect the Albert canal (Diepenbeek, Hasselt, Genk), the Haut Scheldt (Oudenaarde), the Ringvaart around Ghent (Evergem), the Ghent-Ostend canal and the Bocholt-Herentals canal (Mol). According to the spokesperson for the Flemish Waterweg authority, actions have a significant impact. She laments that ships have to wait and are unlikely to reach their destination on time. Management is currently in consultation with staff representatives, according to her.
The three unions gave a strike notice last week to the Flemish Minister of Internal Affairs, Gwendolyn Rutten. In addition to lock staff, ship pilots also reportedly stopped work on Monday, but the information could not be immediately confirmed.
According to the Christian union, the Flemish government has been working on a new status for public service personnel for four years. The negotiations are said to be in their final phase. The reform must in fact come into force on January 1 and the subject must therefore return to the table of the regional government by the end of the year.
More unions note that final documents are incomplete. The ACV/CSC Public Services even believes that major discussion points have not been resolved. “We demand correct and complete regulations, that agreements and commitments are well drawn up and respected, that final appointment is not prohibited but remains possible for each position, that current employees are not disadvantaged compared to new entrants, and that the current health regulations be maintained for newly appointed colleagues,” explains a representative of the Christian union.
2023-12-04 13:23:13
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