Ghent (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Strikes near Gent-Sint-Pieters affect local businesses like Traiteur Toulouse and Bakkerij De Panda, causing 10–50% revenue drops. Owners like Frode Lefevre and Kim Van Den Noortgaete express concern.
According to the shop owners, when there are strikes, businesses around Gent-Sint-Pieters station lose a lot of customers, especially food places that rely on commuters. Frode Lefevre, who owns a food place called Traiteur Toulouse at the station, says that on strike days, a lot fewer people come in, especially the people who usually stop for lunch.
Lefevre has to schedule fewer workers and watch the orders more closely because of this. He says that he can make up to 10% less money on strike days. He has to be more careful with his money because there are fewer customers. This is because fewer people are using public transportation during a strike, and that means fewer people are walking by the businesses.
Are Ghent strikes forcing small businesses to cut hours and sales?
A group called UNIZO Gent talked to businesses in the area and found that strikes affect them all, but some are affected more than others. Kim Van Den Noortgaete, who owns a bakery called Bakkerij De Panda, said that on a normal strike day, she can make 20% to 30% less money.
If buses and trains are also on strike, she might make only half of her normal money. She mentioned that if a lot of services are on strike, she might even close her bakery completely because she wouldn’t make enough money to stay open. Strikes, especially when they stop public transportation, make it hard for businesses to stay open.
“We notice it in two ways. Customers who come directly by train get here less smoothly. Commuters stay home, they no longer come shopping during their lunch break. The car is not an option because they fear being stuck in traffic,”
Says Katia Housiaux of lingerie store Herela.
Not all businesses near Gent-Sint-Pieters station agree on how strikes are affecting them. One business owner said the construction work on the tram line has been a problem for over a year and a half, so the strikes don’t seem to make much of a difference. They are already used to the construction, and the strikes haven’t changed things much.
An employee at a bookstore mentioned that they’ve had fewer customers lately, but they didn’t think it was because of the strikes. They weren’t sure if the strikes were causing the drop in customers.
“Do the actions affect the right people? The NMBS, the companies and the small independents feel the impact. Is the message getting through to the government?”,
Van Den Noortgaete asks.
“Many sectors are already much worse off than NMBS employees.”
According to the shop owner, some days are busy, and some days are slow, and that’s just how business works. They don’t think the strikes are a big problem. Other businesses said that most of their customers live in the area, not commuters, so they aren’t as affected by the fewer trains and trams.
One business owner, Frode Lefevre, said he understands why workers go on strike and wants them to be happy. He said that happy workers make good customers. But he also said that his business is affected by the strikes. He thinks it’s good that unions are working together to plan strikes better because it could help businesses.
“We work every day from 09:30 to 18:30, without a solid pension. I, therefore, have little understanding of the actions. There are also a lot of them. The problem is that the strikes affect everyone; people who work hard every day share in the inconvenience,”
Says Housiaux.
