Also Saturday and Sunday strike at Brussels Airport

Saturday at 10 am, unions and management are back at the bargaining table. "In a first phase, Aviapartner had indicated that it would no longer support flights before Saturday 6 am, and that this was extended for one day," says Anke Fransen of Brussels Airport. "I suspect it's irrevocable."

Fransen was unable to say Friday night how many flights would it take. For more information, she made reference to Aviapartner, but their spokeswoman is not available Friday night.

On Friday, at least 180 flights were canceled at Brussels Airport and more than 30 flights were diverted to other airports. The travelers concerned must absolutely contact their airline, explains Test-Aankoop, because it must propose an alternative.

Thousands of passengers held hostage

Aviapartner employees have been on strike since Thursday night. The social partners met Friday afternoon about the high workload and the shortage of staff, after an initial consultation earlier in the day proved to be a trivial matter.

In addition, a second meeting did not result in white smoke. "We are putting our points back on the list to give management back the attempt to do something," said Fouad Bougrine of the Liberal ACLVB.

The unions give the management an extra night for their points and demands. continue negotiations on Saturday morning in the hope of reaching an agreement. At 10 am, unions and management meet at the airport.

"We hope to land tomorrow during the day," says Born Vanden Eynde of ACV Transcom. "Today, they have taken hundreds of flights and thousands of passengers hostage, but now have understood that they had to sit at the table with a different attitude."

Diversion to other airports

The airline TUI Fly also reports Friday evening Saturday morning with some of its flights to other airports. "Thirteen flights are currently diverted to Charleroi, Ostend, Lille (France) and Amsterdam (Netherlands)," said spokeswoman Sarah Saucin. The passengers of these flights are transported by bus from Brussels to alternative airports. These buses also bring travelers to Brussels who return to Belgium.

Employees are tired of disrespect and are gravely concerned about unsafe materials, under-occupation of shops and unfulfilled agreements. Unions speak of a lack of depth in the recruitment and conversion of temporary contracts into open-ended contracts.

"There is a lack of structural staff and it is difficult to find people," said Vanden Eynde. "Now they have to come up with a clear recruitment plan, if not fewer people will want to work, then they go to Swissport and DHL, where the interim leaders have a future."

Strike in Liege

Also the unions at Aviapartner of the Liège airport decided Friday to halt the work several hours a day in solidarity with his colleagues from Zaventem. Porterers feel they are not heard by their management.

Protesters protest in their own words against "a total absence of social consultation" within the company. "The problems at Aviapartner in Brussels are the same as in Liege and elsewhere," says Geoffrey Broux, Secretary to the Socialist SETCa-Liege. "In Liège, it is mainly the materials that are problematic, but as in Brussels, we also have to deal with poor communication, a lack of staff and a net shortage of investment," says Broux.

"It has now been two years since we find that working conditions are deteriorating at Aviapartner in Liège and that staff and local management are turning to the competition, "adds Daniel Maratta. Provincial secretary of the union department UBT. Fifteen complaints about welfare at work should, according to Broux, be treated in Liège

On Monday, the unions will publish a notice of strike. SETCa and UBT require, among other things, a suitable task classification and job description, investments to ensure the integration of Aviapartner in Liège, an "urgent" interpretation of vacancies and management stability.