General strike brings Belgium to a standstill
WORKERS in Belgium walked out for 24 hours in a strike on Monday, hitting public services and halting virtually all transport.
The strike, organised by the socialist General Labour Federation of Belgium (FGTB-ABVV) and the Confederation of Christian Trade Unions, was in protest over massive budget cuts proposed by the country’s coalition government.
The proposed €1 billion (£800 million) in cuts would hit pensions, unemployment benefits and public services.
Similar stories
One hundred years after 1.7m workers shut the country down in defence of the miners, the struggles that sparked the 1926 General Strike are still with us – and will be honoured on London’s May Day march this year, writes MARY ADOSSIDES



