General strike in Belgium

Quote :

Brussels - A nationwide strike of unions protesting the rising cost of living brought chaos to Belgium on Monday as trains, ports and public services shut down. In Brussels, tram lines were closed, bus lines were running only limited services, main-line railway stations shut down and traffic jams were widespread.

International train services were hard hit by the closure of two of Brussels' three main stations, with both the Thalys service to Paris and the cross-Channel Eurostar train - already on a reduced service after a fire last month - closed for the day.

In the province of Flanders, local services reported over 280 kilometres of traffic jams on Monday morning, an increase of 40 per cent over a normal working day. Workers also blocked the port of Antwerp, the country's main trading port.

In Wallonia, striking workers picketed industrial areas round the towns of Charleroi, while many shops and services remained closed.

The unions are protesting at the rising cost of living. However, the current financial crisis and the collapse of Belgium's biggest bank, Fortis, have largely wiped the strike off Monday's front pages, leaving it open to question how much impact it will have.

The strike is set to last until 10 pm local time (2000 GMT).

Hey, it's something. Also, I find it dissappointing that one of our buttons has 'strike' crossed out. It's so... Reactionary.

Edit: Source.