Hasselt (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – A Hasselt meeting between Mebis management and unions after a 2-week staff strike ended with no concrete agreements. Talks were tense, and further action remains possible, says union spokesperson Carlo Maesen.
As VRT News reported, a meeting between Mebis management and union representatives ended today, Dec 29, 2025, without any agreement. The talks follow a strike 2 weeks ago. Staff walked out over complaints about schedules and heavy workloads.
Union representatives said the talks were very difficult. Mebis, a subcontractor for De Lijn, said it understood staff concerns but could only offer limited changes. The company also said it must keep buses running on time, which makes some adjustments hard.
What will come of Mebis-Hasselt union talks after the strike?
Union officials warned that staff could take more industrial action if working conditions do not improve. This leaves uncertainty for employees and passengers. Both sides agreed that more talks are needed to find solutions and prevent further disruptions to bus services.
“You’d think management would be open to discussion after the spontaneous strike, but today proved nothing further from the truth,”
says Carlo Maesen of the Christian trade union ACV.
He calls the meeting poorly prepared.
“The results are therefore poor: little was discussed, and hardly any new agreements were made.”
The organisation of services at Mebis remains a major issue. Some drivers are working more than 13 hours a day. Others must split their shifts, covering both the morning and evening rush hours. Officials mentioned that these long and irregular schedules have caused frustration among staff and were a main reason for the strike 2 weeks ago.
“We believe this was neglected during the consultation,”
says Maesen.
“The responsibility was primarily shifted to De Lin, but we don’t think that applies here.”
Tonight, Dec 29, 2025, the union will present the “limited results” of today’s talks with management to employees. Union spokesperson Maesen said the staff will decide what to do next.
“They will decide for themselves what happens next,”
Maesen said.
“I do not rule out further action, because the results of today’s talks are very limited.”
There are similar incidents of industrial action in the Belgian public transportation sector, most notably a strike by unions at De Lijn that occurred in March 2025, which resulted in only approximately 50% of the buses and trams in Flanders being operational. Also, on May 20, 2025, due to a national strike of public-sector workers throughout Belgium, there were numerous issues with the De Lijn service throughout the nation’s entire area.
In October 2024, there were spontaneous walkouts by bus drivers from the suburbs of Brussels that were caused by changes in schedules and route cancellations. The most recent union call for a 3-day strike from November 24-26, 2025. This strike is expected to impact De Lijn, STIB-MIVB, and TEC services in the country.
