Belgium was hit by a second day of industrial action on Monday, 12 October 2026, as public-sector unions escalated their protest against planned budget cuts. From the early hours, rail signalers, postal workers, teachers, tax officials and immigration-office clerks walked off the job, partially shutting large parts of the federal administration. Reuters reports that Prime-Minister Bart De Wever postponed presenting the federal budget after coalition talks stalled over a proposed €10 billion savings package. For globally mobile employees and their employers the biggest headache was the knock-on effect on mobility-critical services. Appointment calendars at Brussels’ Immigration Office and municipal foreigners’ desks were wiped for the day, forcing work-permit and residency applicants to re-book in an already back-logged system. Several communes, including Saint-Josse-ten-Noode, confirmed that only the Demography, Civil Status and Foreigners counters would open for urgent cases, and only for limited hours. Companies that had scheduled first-day registrations for incoming assignees were advised to reschedule or file via secure drop-boxes. Transport was equally affected. The national rail operator SNCB ran a drastically reduced “alternative service”, while the Brussels public-transport company STIB operated metros, trams and buses at sharply reduced frequencies (see separate stories). Long-distance commuters reported queues of more than an hour at Brussels-North station as the usual peak-hour timetable was cut by half. Although Brussels Airport itself remained operational, the strike removed a layer of administrative support. Passengers seeking tax-refund stamps or on-the-spot visa extensions found the relevant desks closed, while union pickets slowed road traffic to the terminal. Logistics groups DHL and FedEx said clearance of inbound AOG aircraft parts and life-science cargo was delayed until customs staff returned. The unions have warned that if the government does not revise its fiscal plan, rolling 24-hour strikes will follow in late October. Global mobility managers with Belgian operations should therefore build extra lead-time into visa, residence, shipment-clearance and business-travel plans for the rest of the month.
Source: The Straits Times / Reuters
