Brussels airports shut down for national Horeca, security and cleanliness event. No flights departing Tuesday, Oct. 1

Brussels – No airline flights will take off from Brussels on Tuesday, October 1. Brussels Zaventem Airport’s announcement was joined today (September 30) by Charleroi Airport, fifty kilometres south of the Belgian capital. Due to the national rally of the security, cleaning, and catering sectors scheduled for tomorrow, “the shortage of security personnel will be too severe to guarantee operations,” both airports announced. However, incoming flights will be guaranteed.

Zaventem Airport had already decided on Friday, while Charleroi Airport initially announced that it would operate at only 30 per cent capacity. Already last September 12 and 13, Brussels South Airport had stranded tens of thousands of passengers due to a maxi-strike of staff. However, given the large turnout for tomorrow’s demonstration by security workers, Brussels South Airport is back on its heels. According to the Belgian newspaper Le Soir, the decision was made in consultation with the airlines.

Horeca, security and cleaning workers from several EU countries, called to Brussels by the union federation UNI Europa, will take to the streets of the European capital to demand new rules that strengthen collective bargaining, improve working conditions, and ensure quality services for communities. “Current EU public procurement rules push companies to compete for the lowest price, often at the expense of workers. Instead, public money should be invested in good jobs and clean, safe, healthy communities. Now, essential workers are going to Brussels to demand exactly that: public procurement must respect collective bargaining,” said Oliver Roethig, regional secretary of UNI Europe.

The trade unions will meet at Place Jean Rey, in the heart of Brussels’ European quarter, tomorrow at noon.