Police unions shelve plans for strike at Brussels Airport
Police unions have shelved their plans to strike over a passport check dispute after the federal police confirmed the existence of an internal notice that had caused them concern. Travellers should not be the victims of a breach of trust between police and unions, said Joery Dehaes of the ACV police union.
On Saturday, police unions ACV and NSPV announced their plan to file a formal strike notice due to concerns about the alleged relaxation of passport checks at Brussels Airport in Zaventem.
Their plan followed claims that the leadership of the aviation police had instructed officers to ease border controls under Article 9 of the Schengen Borders Code, misusing an article intended for exceptional circumstances as a structural policy.
Denial and confirmation
The federal police denied these claims on Saturday, stating that no official directive had been issued. Dehaes called the denial "unacceptable", saying that the instruction jeopardised passenger safety and undermined officers' ability to properly screen travellers.
On Monday, the representative announced that the unions would not be issuing a strike notice after all, as the federal police had confirmed the existence of an internal notice that "does not appear to comply with current border control guidelines".
Breach of trust
Dehaes said that this confirmation had raised questions about the usefulness of a strike. "We must solve the problem of long queues at the airport internally, through dialogue between the police trade unions and senior management at the federal police," he said.
"With a strike notice, we would be putting pressure on travellers who are about to start their summer holidays, and that is not what we want. Travellers should not be the victims of a breach of trust between the federal police and the trade unions," said Dehaes.
© BELGA PHOTO JAMES ARTHUR GEKIERE
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