Anti-ausiterity strike disrupts Belgium transportation

Public sector employees have brought transportation to a halt in Belgium as looming strikes on planes and trains are threatening to bring more chaos to neighboring France.

Thousands of public sector workers are taking part in a 24-hour national strike across Belgium. The national strike disrupted train and bus services as well as schools, prisons and mail delivery on Tuesday.

According to Belgium’s state railway, domestic services in the country's French-speaking south ground to a halt on Tuesday.

Trains are still running between London and Brussels, but some services between Brussels and Paris have been cancelled. Forty percent of the trains in the Dutch-speaking north, however, are still providing service.

A demonstration, organized by labor unions, will also be held in the capital Brussels later in the day.

The unions are striking to protest austerity measures approved by the Belgian government, including budget cuts, changes to working hours and an increase in the retirement age.

In neighboring France, unions are also planning to hold strikes and rallies to pressure the Socialist government of President Francois Hollande to withdraw a set of controversial labor reforms.

Railway workers were set to disrupt transport throughout France, in a strike that is expected to affect around half of national and regional train services.

The railway employees strike will be followed by a strike on the Paris Metro network from Thursday. Air France pilots have also voted in principle for a lengthy strike at some point in June.

SS