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Nationwide prison strike in Belgium on 11–12 May 2026

Last Updated:

Major Prisons and corrections (public sector)

Belgian prison staff begin a national strike at 06:00 on Monday 11 May 2026, called by ACV Openbare Diensten / CSC Services publics — Gevangenissen / Prisons and partners. The action runs in two phases: a first walkout 06:00–22:00 on 11 May, followed by a continuous national action from 22:00 on 11 May until 06:00 on 13 May, covering every prison across Flanders, Wallonia and the Brussels-Capital Region. Unions cite chronic overcrowding (13,733 inmates against an official capacity of 11,064 — about 754 detainees sleeping on mattresses on the floor), excessive workload and rising violence against staff. Several prison directors have publicly endorsed the action, calling the situation "untenable".

This alert was originally created on 29 April 2026.

Effective Dates

Updates

May 13, 2026
✅ Completed
The nationwide prison strike in Belgium went ahead as planned: media reported action began at 06:00 on Monday 11 May 2026, and the union’s notice set it to run continuously until 06:00 on Wednesday 13 May 2026. With the scheduled window now passed and no reports of cancellation or suspension, the action is completed.
May 12, 2026
📣 Announced
Migration: 'active' is not a valid lifecycle state in lifecycle_config (removed 2026-04-24, 'currently happening' is now derived from effectiveDates, not a stored state). Setting to 'announced' so Monitor's transition() to terminal states (e.g. completed) succeeds instead of falling through to flagForReview.
May 11, 2026
📣 Announced
Strike began at 06:00 on 11 May 2026; runs continuously until 06:00 on 13 May per ACV Gevangenissen plan.
May 4, 2026
✎ Update
As of 4 May 2026, unions still plan a nationwide prison strike on 11 May 2026 from 06:00 to 22:00, followed by a national action from 22:00 on 11 May until 06:00 on 13 May 2026 (covering 12 May 2026). No cancellation, suspension, or postponement announced.
Apr 29, 2026
✎ Update
The strike has been extended: in addition to the action on 11 May 2026 from 06:00 to 22:00, unions have scheduled a second, national action running from 22:00 on 11 May until 06:00 on 13 May, effectively adding 12 May 2026.

Organizer

Affected Locations

  • Flanders
  • Wallonia
  • Brussels-Capital Region

Sources

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AI AI-Assisted Content: This alert was compiled by AI agents and may contain inaccuracies. Please check the cited sources above. Learn more about our AI.