The chaos at airports was avoidable

Chaos at Charleroi and Zaventem airports due to work-to-rule slowdowns by police unions. “This was predictable,” says MP Sigrid Goethals. “The police have long been dissatisfied with this Vivaldi government that promises a lot but does little about the staff shortage and dragging wage negotiations. This is to the detriment of the travellers.”

MP Sigrid Goethals questioned Minister of the Interior Verlinden in the plenary meeting on Thursday about the fact that the police unions had announced work-to-rule slowdowns at our airports. The unions did this because of general dissatisfaction with this government: with the NAVAP scheme, with the wage negotiations and the persistent staff shortage.

The Vivaldi government is holding travellers hostage in Zaventem and Charleroi

There have been negotiations on wages. They have been busy for a while; they were promised everything. And although the police were still hopeful, at the beginning of this week they had a rude awakening: additional cuts, no NAVAP scheme and no pay rise. And this has been going on since 2001.

“Travellers in Zaventem and Charleroi have been taken hostage by the government, and masses are missing their flights. The Vivaldi government bears a great responsibility for this. It is therefore high time that Minister Verlinden not only makes promises to our police officers, but also delivers on them,” Sigrid Goethals concludes.