Another strike by baggage handlers at Brussels airport

A strike by baggage handlers will disrupt traffic at Brussels Zaventem International Airport until at least Sunday morning, in the middle of the All Saints’ Day holiday period, Brussels Airport, the company that operates the airport, announced Friday evening.

The work stoppage of employees of the Belgian company Aviapartner, which began on Thursday evening, has already resulted in the cancellation of nearly 200 flights, both departing and arriving, according to the French-language radio and television channel RTBF.

About 400 people were preparing to spend the night from Friday to Saturday in the terminal, the channel said.

On its website, Brussels Airport points out that some thirty companies, including British Airways, EasyJet, Ryanair and Royal Air Maroc, subcontract the loading and unloading of checked baggage to Aviapartner.

The company advises passengers to get closer to their company to find solutions. Some flights have been moved to Charleroi or Lille (northern France), according to media reports.

« As a result of the work stoppage (…), no flights are handled by Aviapartner until Sunday 28 October at 6:00 am local time (05:00 GMT), » Brussels Airport said Friday evening.

Negotiations between management and the service provider’s unions did not result in any agreement on Friday, according to the Belga news agency. They should resume on Saturday.

A delegate of the FGTB (Socialist Trade Union), Sandra Langenus, denounced on the RTBF the « overwork » at Aviapartner, and asked that the many temporary workers could benefit from permanent contracts.

This strike comes on the eve of a weekend of crossfire in Brussels airport, the end of school holidays in the neighbouring Netherlands coinciding with the beginning of those of Belgian students, according to a Brussels Airport spokeswoman.