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Belgium strike paralyses transport system
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CNTV, January 31, 2012
A stand-off in Greece, worries in Brussels and we're not stopping there - there's more bad news to be found, I'm afraid.
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Belgian workers stage a protest in front of the house of Prime Minister Elio Di Rupo during a national 24-hour general strike in Mons January 30, 2012. |
Belgians went on strike today over government plans to raise the effective retirement age along with other measures designed to save 11.3 billion euros or close to 15 billion U.S dollars. This is Belgium's first general strike in almost two decades.
The entire rail network is closed, buses and trams idled, and many schools and shops have been shut. Production at the Audi and Volvo car plants have also come to a halt. High-speed international trains, such as the Eurostar from London and Thalys from Paris, have not been running into or out of the country from late on Sunday.
Belgium has pledged to bring its public sector deficit below the EU limit of 3 percent of GDP this year to avoid an EU fine and to reassure investors it has its finances under control.
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