Speaking to VRT NWS on 29 January, NMBS/SNCB CEO Sophie Dutordoir delivered her bluntest assessment yet of Belgium’s wave of railway walkouts, declaring that “strike action is really no longer reasonable.” Since January 2025, the state-owned operator has endured 31 strike days as unions protest pension reforms and proposed changes to permanent contracts for new hires.
Dutordoir argued the industrial turmoil is driving passengers towards cars and coaches, undermining climate goals and eroding revenue needed for network modernisation. She called on unions to return to the negotiating table and finalise a social pact that would lock in staffing levels, training commitments and productivity measures for future employees.
![NMBS chief brands frequency of rail strikes ‘no longer reasonable’, urges new social pact]()
Her comments echo mounting frustration from the business community, which estimates that each strike day costs Belgian firms up to €20 million in lost productivity and logistics rerouting. Travel-management companies report a 45 % spike in last-minute car-rental bookings during the latest five-day stoppage, while hotel occupancy in peripheral business parks has surged as commuters seek overnight stays near offices.
For global-mobility and HR teams, recurring strikes raise questions about compliance with working-time directives when staff face extended commutes or must work remotely at short notice. Employers are advised to review tele-work polices, expense guidelines and posted-worker filings to ensure flexibility without breaching Belgian labour law.
Negotiations are complicated by draft legislation moving through the Council of Ministers that would cap future strike lengths and require minimum service guarantees. Unions have vowed to oppose any perceived curbs on industrial action, setting the stage for further confrontation unless a compromise is reached.
Dutordoir argued the industrial turmoil is driving passengers towards cars and coaches, undermining climate goals and eroding revenue needed for network modernisation. She called on unions to return to the negotiating table and finalise a social pact that would lock in staffing levels, training commitments and productivity measures for future employees.
Her comments echo mounting frustration from the business community, which estimates that each strike day costs Belgian firms up to €20 million in lost productivity and logistics rerouting. Travel-management companies report a 45 % spike in last-minute car-rental bookings during the latest five-day stoppage, while hotel occupancy in peripheral business parks has surged as commuters seek overnight stays near offices.
For global-mobility and HR teams, recurring strikes raise questions about compliance with working-time directives when staff face extended commutes or must work remotely at short notice. Employers are advised to review tele-work polices, expense guidelines and posted-worker filings to ensure flexibility without breaching Belgian labour law.
Negotiations are complicated by draft legislation moving through the Council of Ministers that would cap future strike lengths and require minimum service guarantees. Unions have vowed to oppose any perceived curbs on industrial action, setting the stage for further confrontation unless a compromise is reached.
Source: Belga News Agency
