Ostend (The Brussels Morning Newspaper): De Lin workers plan to strike on August 14 due to heavy workloads, staff shortages and tram issues. Drivers initiated the strike demanding better conditions and faster solutions.
Unions for De Lijn workers might go on strike next Wednesday August 14 because of big problems with working conditions at the coast. Workers are dealing with heavy workloads because there aren’t enough staff and there are ongoing technical issues with the coastal tram making things worse. The tram running slower in some places due to these problems is causing delays and making both drivers and passengers really frustrated. On top of all that drivers who try to go faster to catch up on time are getting checked and told off by their bosses. The unions say these conditions make work really stressful and are why they’re thinking about striking. They want more staff and the tram’s technical problems fixed faster.
Are De Lin drivers ready to strike over working conditions?
It has been said that the drivers get in trouble for small stuff but the big problems are being ignored. Before summer people said there wouldn’t be enough staff but they didn’t listen until 2 weeks before. They also didn’t fix some tram track problems. And there’s a new computer program messin’ up overtime pay for some staff. At the meeting today the bosses gave in a bit but the unions weren’t happy with it. Even though there was some progress the unions still felt like their main worries especially the staff shortage weren’t being fixed. The bosses’ ideas didn’t solve things quickly enough so the unions decided that their demands weren’t being completely met. The unions are sticking to their plan and not stopping the strike. They’re saying unless the staff problem is fixed properly they won’t back down. The talks are still stuck on how to sort out the staff shortage issue.
Basically the workers at the coast are gearing up for a big strike. It’s not the union bosses leading this charge. It’s the employees themselves. The drivers who are really feeling the heat from all the problems asked the unions to set up the strike. They’re the ones taking the lead in making this happen. Reusen says since the drivers started this strike idea themselves it shows they’re really serious about it. Because it’s coming straight from the drivers they reckon lots of them will join in. With the drivers leading the charge and really wanting to fix things and lot of them will be up for the strike.
