Workers protested the decline of purchasing power and asked the government to improve the law regulating wages during a strike organized jointly by the country’s largest unions in Belgium. The unions called for improvements to the government, which is preparing to re-regulate wage increase rates for 2023-2024 within the framework of the 1996 law, describing the protests of thousands of strikers at Brussels North Station as a show of strength. Belgium has a 0.04 percent automatic salary increase system, which reportedly is insufficient to meet the inflation rate that affects market prices.
All flights at Brussels International Zaventem Airport have been canceled due to the strike. Further, public transportation services in the city were also stopped due to the strike. The participation of the employees of public transportation enterprises in the strike prevented the students who were in the process of the end-of-year exams. Schools announced that a special evaluation will be made for students who cannot come to the exam.