Flanders’ public-transport operator De Lijn has warned travellers that only a skeleton bus and tram service will operate from 24–26 November as the company joins a nationwide, multi-sector strike called by Belgium’s three main trade-union confederations. The industrial action targets the centre-right federal government’s draft budget, which unions say will erode purchasing power by raising the pension age, capping wage indexation and trimming unemployment benefits.
While the walk-out falls 10 days from now, employers with mobile workforces are already scrambling to adjust. De Lijn will not publish definitive timetables until the evenings of 22, 23 and 24 November, leaving multinational companies headquartered in Antwerp, Ghent and Leuven with limited visibility over employee commuting options and last-mile airport connections. International passengers transiting through Brussels or Antwerp stations to reach corporate campuses in Flanders could face multi-hour detours via infrequent rail services or ride-hailing platforms operating under surge-pricing conditions.
![Three-Day National Strike to Severely Reduce De Lijn Bus & Tram Services Later This Month]()
The timing is awkward for the life-sciences and semiconductor clusters clustered along the Brussels–Leuven transport corridor, where year-end system qualifications and equipment deliveries typically peak. Freight forwarders note that De Lijn strikes often spill over to subcontracted shuttle firms that move crew between hotels and production sites, forcing costly same-day taxi charters. Travel-risk teams are therefore advising assignees to build in half-day buffers and to retain proof of transport disruption for expense-claim purposes.
Under Belgian law, passengers are not entitled to compensation for force-majeure strikes that are announced at least 24 hours in advance. De Lijn says unused season-ticket days will be credited automatically, but single tickets will not be refunded. The operator is encouraging riders to consult its route-planner app on the morning of travel, yet experiences from previous walk-outs suggest last-minute cancellations will continue throughout the day as depot picket lines evolve.
Companies with posted workers should consider activating telework protocols, pre-booking rental cars or shifting critical meetings to the 27–28 November window, when services are expected to normalise, albeit with residual delays as vehicles and staff are repositioned.
While the walk-out falls 10 days from now, employers with mobile workforces are already scrambling to adjust. De Lijn will not publish definitive timetables until the evenings of 22, 23 and 24 November, leaving multinational companies headquartered in Antwerp, Ghent and Leuven with limited visibility over employee commuting options and last-mile airport connections. International passengers transiting through Brussels or Antwerp stations to reach corporate campuses in Flanders could face multi-hour detours via infrequent rail services or ride-hailing platforms operating under surge-pricing conditions.
The timing is awkward for the life-sciences and semiconductor clusters clustered along the Brussels–Leuven transport corridor, where year-end system qualifications and equipment deliveries typically peak. Freight forwarders note that De Lijn strikes often spill over to subcontracted shuttle firms that move crew between hotels and production sites, forcing costly same-day taxi charters. Travel-risk teams are therefore advising assignees to build in half-day buffers and to retain proof of transport disruption for expense-claim purposes.
Under Belgian law, passengers are not entitled to compensation for force-majeure strikes that are announced at least 24 hours in advance. De Lijn says unused season-ticket days will be credited automatically, but single tickets will not be refunded. The operator is encouraging riders to consult its route-planner app on the morning of travel, yet experiences from previous walk-outs suggest last-minute cancellations will continue throughout the day as depot picket lines evolve.
Companies with posted workers should consider activating telework protocols, pre-booking rental cars or shifting critical meetings to the 27–28 November window, when services are expected to normalise, albeit with residual delays as vehicles and staff are repositioned.
