Culture sector strikes sweep across Europe as Belgian workers join growing protests
Public museums and cultural institutions across Europe are experiencing unprecedented closures amid strikes by workers protesting austerity policies and deteriorating working conditions. In Belgium, cultural sector employees have participated in national strikes, shutting major museum sites and joining broader labour actions against budget cuts and reforms impacting pensions, social benefits and public services.
The disputes reflect a wider trend in Europe since mid-2025, resulting in museums, galleries, libraries and cultural organisations from Portugal to the United Kingdom and Germany reacting with work stoppages, walkouts and demonstrations.
The causes are largely shared: years of fiscal restraint have left institutions understaffed, with wages frozen or lagging behind inflation, workloads rising and precarious employment increasing. Workers report growing burnout and the loss of experienced professionals from the sector.
“Culture is not a luxury or an optional extra"
Unions and cultural workers argue that these conditions not only harm employees but also jeopardise the quality and accessibility of public cultural services.
“Culture is not a luxury or an optional extra. It is a public good and a pillar of social cohesion,” said Pablo Sanchez, policy officer for the Public Services Network at EPSU, the European Federation of Public Service Unions, during a recent meeting of culture and educational support workers.
“Without higher pay, safe staffing levels and proper public investment, you should check not only your travel agency’s website but also the unions’ strike calendar before your next holiday. Instead of a masterpiece, you’ll see workers demanding dignity,” Sanchez added.
EPSU represents roughly 8 million public service workers across more than 250 trade unions in Europe, organising employees in sectors such as culture, health, water, energy and waste services, and acting as the regional organisation of Public Services International.
Belgian actions and museum closures
In Belgium, museum closures were especially visible during a three-day national strike from 24 to 26 November 2025 in protest against government austerity measures that include cuts to pensions and social safety nets. As part of this action, museums in Bruges were left closed, depriving visitors of access to the city’s primary cultural sites. Similar actions continue to be planned, with a national demonstration scheduled for 12 March that culture workers are expected to join.
In Brussels, cultural workers and artists have joined large demonstrations against federal reforms perceived to weaken the arts sector, notably those affecting funding and pension rights. On 26 November 2025, multiple cultural federations, trade unions, artists and sociocultural workers protested at Mont des Arts against federal government measures, including cuts to cultural budgets and pension changes.
The M HKA controversy
Belgium’s ongoing strikes intersect with broader debates over public cultural infrastructure, particularly in Flanders. The Museum of Contemporary Art Antwerp (M HKA) has stood at the centre of controversy following a proposed overhaul of the regional museum landscape by the Flemish government.
Originally, plans introduced in autumn 2025 would have scrapped a long-planned 130 million euro new building for M HKA and seen most of its collection relocated to the Municipal Museum of Contemporary Art (S.M.A.K.) in Ghent, effectively stripping M HKA of official museum status.
The reform, framed as a means to streamline operations and enhance cooperation between institutions, drew sharp criticism from artists, curators and museum professionals who described the proposal as opaque and damaging to Antwerp’s cultural heritage.
Following sustained pushback, the Flemish culture minister, Caroline Gennez (Vooruit), and museum representatives reached an agreement in early February 2026.
A broader struggle
Union leaders and culture workers argue that their actions are part of a wider defence of public cultural services under pressure from fiscal austerity across Europe. At a meeting convened by EPSU on 6 February, unions outlined the shared impact of budget cuts and pledged to intensify cross-border solidarity. In its first coordinated step, EPSU wrote to Spain’s minister of culture in support of dancers striking at the National Ballet of Spain.
Trade union demonstration in Brussels, Belgium © PHOTO BELGIAN FREELANCE
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