Expected Belgian rail strike for April 30

by Anna Brones on

A heads up if you’re on your way to Belgium: the country’s two largest rail unions announced Monday that they plan to strike on April 30, 2008 because of a dispute over pay and conditions, as reported by the International Herald Tribune. About 90% of the employees of the state rail company SNCB/NMBS will be striking, meaning that travelers can expect a 24 hour train standstill.

Not only will regional service be affected, but also international lines like the Eurostar to Britain, the Thalys to France and the Netherlands and the ICE to Germany.

In the United States, we aren’t very used to national strikes of this kind, but some European countries — France and Germany for example — deal with them frequently. But don’t let strikes discourage you; train travel is still an efficient and eco-friendly way to make your way across Europe, just plan accordingly.

When in Rome, Do As the Baggage Handlers Do. Relax!

by Iva Skoch on

Those flying into Rome Fiumicino airport must have been hating Rome the minute they arrived this past weekend. There is nothing like a warm welcome to a foreign country! Hundreds of thousands bags got delayed as baggage handlers “took their time” getting them from the plane to the passengers. The reason? Low pay.

European workers have had a long tradition of going on strike but this seems more creative than a regular strike. They were apparently slowing down the flow of baggage by using things such as chewing gum to cover up barcode readers that sort the bags and that electric trolleys used to ferry bags to and from aircraft were often found to be lacking power.

Stranded at the airport for hours waiting for one’s bags is a good time to contemplate how accustomed we have become to things working on our own schedule. If you are sitting at terminal A right now, wedged between a couple of sweaty tourists, you probably don’t understand what I mean. All I am saying is, “things going wrong” is a part of travel. One day, this will make a good story.

Free Entry To Louvre While Guards Strike

by Jonathon Morgan on

If there’s a country where workers know how to strike, it’s France. When truck drivers strike, they position their vehicles across major highways, so no one can travel, and when security guards at the Louvre (the Paris museum that houses the Mona Lisa) take strike action, they block the ticket booths so no one can pay.

In response, the museum waived it’s admission fee. Score!

So should you jump on a plane right now to get in for free?

Well, no. For starters, the fee ranges from only $7.87 to $17, and by Wednesday afternoon, the striking guards — who, incidentally, only made up 5% of the museum’s 1,100 security staff — had relinquished their hold on the ticket booth.

Semi-related jaw-dropping fact: the Louvre registered 8.3 million visitors last year alone. No word on how much the museum lost by temporarily allowing free admission.

BA Cabin Crews Strike, Flights Canceled

by Jonathon Morgan on

Hopefully you’re not flying British Airways from London Heathrow next week. The company is canceling all flights on Tuesday and Wednesday due to an impending strike by cabin crew. Though BA still hopes to reach a temporary agreement with the Transport and General Workers union, according to BA chief executive Willie Walsh, better to cancel the flights now so passengers have time “to make alternate arrangements.”

Additional walkouts are set for Feb 5-7 and Feb 12-14 if no agreement is reached — although the union has scaled back its strike plans from three days next week to two, as a gesture of goodwill.

There’s the usual bickering and grandstanding on both sides of the fence — “we tried, but the unreasonable guys on the other side rejected our offer,” etc. The real loss is felt by the hundreds of thousands of people who need to re-adjust or re-schedule their travel plans.