Picture: Screenshot from YouTube
The Professional Association of Maritime and Inland Pilots (Beroepsvereniging van Loodsen – BvL) announced on Thursday that its strike over Belgium’s pension reform will continue throughout the weekend.
By Thursday morning—just as on previous days this week—nearly 100 vessels were waiting to enter or leave the ports of Antwerp, Zeebrugge, and Ghent. The pilots said they had no choice but to maintain their protest actions.
A few months ago, a provisional agreement on pensions appeared to have been reached between the pilots and the Federal Government. However, both sides have reportedly interpreted the terms differently.
“Everything was fine until last week,” the BvL said on Thursday. “Then it became clear that the agreement would not be honoured and that no budget would be allocated for our pensions.”
The pilots argue that they are being unfairly singled out compared to others in the maritime sector. They are particularly critical of the unequal treatment of their second-pillar pensions compared to those of employees in other industries.
In addition, the non-indexation of higher pensions could lead to a reduction in their benefits—from €2,400 to €1,900, they fear.
The Professional Association of Maritime and Inland Pilots (Beroepsvereniging van Loodsen – BvL) announced on Thursday that its strike over Belgium’s pension reform will continue throughout the weekend.
By Thursday morning—just as on previous days this week—nearly 100 vessels were waiting to enter or leave the ports of Antwerp, Zeebrugge, and Ghent. The pilots said they had no choice but to maintain their protest actions.
A few months ago, a provisional agreement on pensions appeared to have been reached between the pilots and the Federal Government. However, both sides have reportedly interpreted the terms differently.
“Everything was fine until last week,” the BvL said on Thursday. “Then it became clear that the agreement would not be honoured and that no budget would be allocated for our pensions.”
The pilots argue that they are being unfairly singled out compared to others in the maritime sector. They are particularly critical of the unequal treatment of their second-pillar pensions compared to those of employees in other industries.
In addition, the non-indexation of higher pensions could lead to a reduction in their benefits—from €2,400 to €1,900, they fear.
