Between 70,000 to 80,000 people protested in Brussels city centre on Monday as part of a general strike, Belgian news agency Belga reported, citing police and union estimates.

The countrywide protests led to massive travel disruption in Belgium, with Brussels airport cancelling all departure flights due to a lack of security staff.

Some of Belgium’s major unions called for the strikes over their demand for legislative reforms to fight declining purchasing power following the COVID-19 pandemic and record inflation, Belga reports.

Brussels Airlines had already announced last week that it would cancel flights on Monday as ground personnel employed by the security company G4S were taking part in the walkouts, the news agency said.

The news agency said the unions expected 70,000 people to join a protest march in the centre of Brussels but have now revised this figure to 80,000.

According to Belga, Belgian railway operator SNCB, which was not participating in the strike, had provided additional trains to allow protestors to get to the capital.

Other transport providers, however, were impacted by the strike, with just one metro line currently operating in Brussels and public transport in some other Belgian provinces offering reduced services, Belga reports.

(dpa/NAN)