Belgian workers went on their first general strike in more than a decade yesterday, disrupting transport and shutting down production lines and major shops to protest against government plans to increase the retirement age.
The one-day action by members of the Socialist FGBT/ABVV union, the second largest in Belgium, halted the high-speed Eurostar trains from London and the Thalys connection from Paris and came close to grinding the port of Antwerp to a halt.
Unionists also barricaded some key roads into Brussels, the headquarter of European Union institutions, halting traffic.
They were protesting against government plans to raise the retirement age to 60 from 58 years after a week of negotiations brought no result.
"There are too many young unemployed people and it is unfair to oblige the older people to work until this problem is resolved," FGBT/ABVV spokesman Nicolas Errante said.
Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt said he would not yield to pressure, arguing Belgium had to cut costs of the pension system due to an ageing population, a problem felt by many other European countries.
"I am not going to be intimidated by strikes. The reform will go ahead with the proposed measures regardless of the strikes and the impact of the strikes," he said.
The reforms are scheduled to start in 2008.
The protest is not expected to significantly weaken Mr Verhofstadt's government, which has the support of the liberal socialist coalition partners, normally FGBT's political partners, on these proposals.
The Federation of Belgian Enterprises (FEB), the biggest employers' group, also backed the government, saying it "strongly disapproved" of the strike.
Negotiations are due to continue over the weekend, with FGBT hoping the show of strength by its 1.2 million members will sway the government to its side.
Flights from Brussels international airport were delayed, though officials put this down as much to a thick fog than a strike by some baggage handlers.
In the port of Antwerp, cargo ships were struggling to get in and out, port spokesman Ann Wittemans said.
"There is no handling of cargo - no loading and offloading. There was picketing in the morning," she said, adding the cost of the disruption would be "millions of euros".
A nearby General Motor Opel car plant was shut for the day, as was a Ford factory in the eastern town of Genk. Shoppers were turned away from supermarket chains Carrefour and Delhaize.