The Flemish local transport company De Lijn reports severe disruption to bus and tram services in affected provinces. Services too adjoining provinces are hit too.

On the roads congestion materialised earlier than usual with commuters hoping to beat the strike by taking the car. A similar picture is expected tonight.

In Ghent several hypermarkets are being picketed and will stay closed.

Schools are open, though in Ghent several city primaries are closed. Pupils can go to neighbouring schools. The education unions plan to focus their protest on 15 December, the day of the general strike. In Ghent municipal day care centres are shut.

Ghent University Hospital, AZ Nikolaas in Sint-Niklaas and AZ Augustinus in Veurne are operating on a skeleton staff.

The post office’s Ghent sorting office is being picketed. Most of today’s mail for the province has already left the sorting office. Deliveries will depend on whether or not postal workers turn up for work at local offices.

Dockers in Ghent and Zeebrugge have walked out. Ships cannot be loaded or unloaded and work at transport companies in the port is at a standstill too.

Strikers are picketing Liège Airport, though workers needed to guarantee safety at the airport are being allowed through. Freight companies ran all their flights before the 6am start of the strike. Today’s only passenger flight from Liège left from Brussels.

Flandersnews.be / Expatica