Although social partners resumed negotiations in Jambes on Thursday, LETEC services across Wallonia remained ‘heavily disrupted’ on Friday, marking the twelfth consecutive day of union action against regional austerity measures. Entire depots in Liège-Verviers and Charleroi were closed, with more than 100 routes cancelled and only a handful operating skeleton timetables. (brusselstimes.com)
The continuing disruption forced employers to extend tele-work arrangements and reopen COVID-era allowances for home-office costs. Logistics companies in the Liège airport cluster reported absentee rates of up to 18 percent among warehouse staff who rely on bus connections. Several firms arranged charter coaches, a solution that may qualify for the up-to-€0.26/km tax-free transport allowance under Belgian payroll rules.
In the meantime, international staff and companies worried about visa or residence documentation delays can lean on VisaHQ’s digital concierge service, which files Belgian visa, work and residence-permit applications online and coordinates courier pickup, sparing travellers from trips to consulates that could be snarled by the ongoing transport disruptions. More information is available at https://www.visahq.com/belgium/
![Strike day 12: Walloon public-transport network still heavily disrupted despite resumed talks]()
Talks yielded a provisional agreement to ‘freeze’ the contested benefit cuts, but depot-level staff meetings will vote on Monday whether to accept the deal. If rejected, unions could escalate to a regional general strike, which would hit not only public transport but also administrative services needed for residence-permit processing.
For global-mobility managers, the uncertainty underscores the importance of multi-modal planning outside Brussels. Assignees based in Wallonia should be registered with employer emergency-SMS systems and provided with clear reimbursement rules for car-sharing or hotel nights near work sites.
A follow-up meeting between management and unions is scheduled for Tuesday. Until then, LETEC will publish daily service sheets at 18:00 for the following morning. Employers are advised to communicate these updates promptly to affected staff. (brusselstimes.com)
The continuing disruption forced employers to extend tele-work arrangements and reopen COVID-era allowances for home-office costs. Logistics companies in the Liège airport cluster reported absentee rates of up to 18 percent among warehouse staff who rely on bus connections. Several firms arranged charter coaches, a solution that may qualify for the up-to-€0.26/km tax-free transport allowance under Belgian payroll rules.
In the meantime, international staff and companies worried about visa or residence documentation delays can lean on VisaHQ’s digital concierge service, which files Belgian visa, work and residence-permit applications online and coordinates courier pickup, sparing travellers from trips to consulates that could be snarled by the ongoing transport disruptions. More information is available at https://www.visahq.com/belgium/
Talks yielded a provisional agreement to ‘freeze’ the contested benefit cuts, but depot-level staff meetings will vote on Monday whether to accept the deal. If rejected, unions could escalate to a regional general strike, which would hit not only public transport but also administrative services needed for residence-permit processing.
For global-mobility managers, the uncertainty underscores the importance of multi-modal planning outside Brussels. Assignees based in Wallonia should be registered with employer emergency-SMS systems and provided with clear reimbursement rules for car-sharing or hotel nights near work sites.
A follow-up meeting between management and unions is scheduled for Tuesday. Until then, LETEC will publish daily service sheets at 18:00 for the following morning. Employers are advised to communicate these updates promptly to affected staff. (brusselstimes.com)
