Strike on buses and trams across Flanders next Wednesday?
The socialist trade union ACOD has called on its members that work for the Flemish public transport company De Lijn to strike next Wednesday. Currently most of the bus drivers that work for De Lijn in Flemish Brabant are out on strike. Their action started on Tuesday and is now in its fourth day.
So far talks have failed to resolve the dispute. On Friday the socialist trade union’s negotiators stayed away from the talks. The union’s Marcel Conters told VRT News that this is “because we felt that we wouldn’t be able to achieve any further results. It would have been useless meeting and would have only been a waste of time”.
On Thursday management at De Lijn gave the unions an ultimatum. They were given until 7pm today to accept the management’s proposals.
"Apparently we speak a different language. The management has a completely different view of the discontent among its employees. The minimal proposals that have been made to resolve the problematic situation at De Lijn have not been followed by our members”, Mr Conters added.
Meanwhile, management at De Lijn say that they feel that it is regrettable that no solution has been found to the dispute. An arbitrator has been appointed and talks to resolve the dispute will start again on Tuesday.