With Strikes Tending To Break Out In Europe, Here Is Our Thought - TopicsExpress

With Strikes Tending To Break Out In Europe, Here Is Our Thought For The Day: When Syriza In Greece Is Finally Elected, They Will Have To Fend Off The Turbulence Thrown Their Way By The Troika And The Hysteria From The Markets. WHAT IF TRADE UNIONS IN GERMANY, FRANCE, ITALY, SPAIN AND PORTUGAL HAD A GENERAL STRIKE IN SUPPORT OF SYRIZA, WHAT THEN? BRUSSELS, Belgium -- Belgian workers striking against government austerity plans have badly snarled rail and air service to and from the capital city of Brussels. ... 44 per cent of flights at Brussels main airport were reported cancelled. Labour union leaders announced they have also shut down Eurostar and Thalys train service to and from London, Paris and other international destinations. Metro, bus and tram service in Brussels itself has ground to a halt. The one-day strike, which also affects the French-speaking Brabant region south of Brussels, is the latest in a series of union actions intended to force the government of Prime Minister Charles Michel to backtrack on a program to reform pensions, cut health and social security budgets and raise the retirement age. Further travel disruption in Belgium is forecast with a nationwide general strike called for December 15. A strike yesterday forced Eurostar services to Brussels to terminate at Lille. Services to the Belgian capital will also face similar disruption next Monday. Industrial action involving baggage handlers also resulted in 267 departing flights, almost half of the total, being cancelled at Brussels international airport. Yesterdays action against government austerity measure halted all underground trains, buses and trams in Brussels. High-speed trains to France, Holland and Germany were suspended, along with Eurostar services to London. The strike was the latest in a series of weekly protests that will end with next Monday’s mass walkout. Workers were stopped from entering some industrial areas by pickets, while schools and public services in Belgium were also disrupted. The public sector movement began early last month with 100,000 people taking part in a march in Brussels that ended in clashes leaving 112 police injured. (1)