Strike announced on 24, 25, and 26 November: What does this mean for you as an employer?
24/11/2025
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This week there will be three consecutive days of strikes in response to the government’s De Wever reform plans. The first day involves a strike of all public transport services, followed by a strike of all public services, and the third day will be a national interprofessional strike. The disruption is therefore expected to be significant.
As an employer, it is important to know what exactly to expect and which rules apply
The right to strike
In Belgium, the right to strike applies. Employees may therefore decide to participate in a strike. They must inform you as the employer that they will not be coming to work that day. For this absence, you as the employer are not required to pay wages.
Striking employees usually receive a strike allowance through their union, provided they are members.
What if an employee does not show up?
If an employee does not come to work but also does not participate in the strike, no work is performed and you as the employer are not required to pay wages.
An employee who cannot find a way to get to work due to the strike, or prefers to avoid travelling, can request a day off (statutory holiday or compensatory rest). If the employee has the necessary means, they can also request to work from home. Both alternatives always require your explicit approval as the employer.
Note: you cannot oblige employees to stay at home. This always happens based on mutual agreement. Employees who simply want to come to work must be provided with work.
What if an employee arrives late?
An employee is only entitled to guaranteed daily wages if they arrive late or do not come due to an unforeseen event on the way to work, for which they are not at fault.
The question is: does an employee who does not participate in the strike, but arrives late or not at all due to the strike, have the right to guaranteed daily wages? If the strike is announced in advance and starts before the employee leaves their home to go to work, they are obliged to do everything possible to get to the workplace and start work at the scheduled time (for example, leaving earlier to account for traffic, organising carpooling, etc.).
Since the strike days have been announced well in advance, the disruption is considered foreseeable. In that case, there is generally no right to guaranteed daily wages.
The employee must also perform their duties as usual. The strike is not a justification for a non-striker not to perform their duties (no valid reason).
Our PKF BOFIDI Experts are ready to help you
The announced strike days can cause a lot of practical and legal uncertainties within your company. Do you have doubts about the correct application of the rules, or do you want to check which measures you as an employer should take?
Our office is ready to advise you, analyse your situation with you, and guide you through any further steps.
Do not hesitate to contact us, we are happy to help you with expert and clear advice.