Antwerp (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Belgium’s maritime workers, including sailors and pilots, are striking over pension cuts. Ports of Antwerp and North Sea Port are affected, with 15 ships stuck. Nationwide strikes, including rail, are planned on March 31, 2025.
The government wants to change how people get pensions. There were staff meetings at the maritime service on March 19 and 20, 2025. They are worried because their pensions will be much smaller. Young sailors could get €1,900 instead of €2,400. Young pilots could lose almost half their pension.
People are upset because they are worried about their money when they get old. The unions decided not to go on strike, but they mentioned that they are going to work how the rules say. They are not doing extra work or taking shortcuts. This is causing problems because things are taking longer.
Will Belgium’s pension reforms trigger more strikes in Antwerp?
The government wants to change how pensions work so they last longer. But a lot of people are angry about it, especially people who have good pensions now. The government wants people to work longer and made it harder to get a basic pension.
Officials mentioned that this is bad for government workers, like sailors. Sailors used to get good pensions because their jobs were hard. Now, they might not get as much money. A lot of government workers are unhappy. They think the government is just trying to save money. The government might have to talk to the unions and find a way to make everyone happy.
A strike by maritime workers in Belgium is causing major problems at the ports of Antwerp and North Sea Port. The strike isn’t just by pilots but includes all the people who work on the ships, like sailors, captains, and escorts. After just one night of the strike, 15 ships are stuck.
7 ships are waiting to leave Antwerp, and 8 ships are waiting to enter the ports (4 for Antwerp and 4 for North Sea Port). There are also 50 more ships on their way, officials mentioned that the problems are likely to get much worse in the coming days.
Workers all over Belgium are upset about changes the government wants to make to pensions and working conditions. There’s going to be a big strike on March 31st, 2025 where lots of workers will protest against the government’s plans.
