Brussels cleaning service halts operations in Brabant district over safety concerns
The agency responsible for public cleaning services in Brussels is suspending street cleaning in the Brabant neighbourhood in the north of the capital. It has made the decision because the safety of its staff, who have been attacked several times, cannot be guaranteed, management says. Rubbish collection services are not affected.
Management of Bruxelles-Propreté announced on 12 June ago that it could no longer guarantee its teams would operate in the neighbourhood. The statement followed a new case of violence against a staff member the day before, despite measures taken after an earlier attack against an employee.
After what it called “fruitless exchanges” with the Schaerbeek municipal authorities since the beginning of May, the agency decided on Monday to temporarily suspend the cleaning of Rue de Brabant, Rue d’Aerschot, Rue de Quatrecht, Rue Rogier, Rue d’Hoogvorst, Rue Allard, Rue de Potter and Rue Liedts.
The agency is invoking an article from the 2016 convention governing the region’s management of municipal streets. Cleaning will resume as soon as employees can carry out their mission in acceptable conditions, it says.
Bruxelles-Propreté management said on Monday that it had been asking for structural measures to improve the safety of its crews for two years. The agency believes the municipality should provide additional security, while the municipality believes Bruxelles-Propreté should deploy additional supervisory staff.
Rubbish in the Brabant neighbourhood of Brussels, 24 June 2024 © BELGA PHOTO JEROME FETU
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