(30 March 2016) The attacks in the departure hall of the airport Zaventem and in the metro-line that passes by Maelbeek were close. Close in many ways. EPSU staff were preparing for the Right2Water action on the same day, which was due to take place very close to Maelbeek. Some were witnesses of the injured, smoke and chaos coming out of the metro. The same is true for the activists of the Belgian affiliates of CGSP/ACOD and CSC-ACV Services Publics who were on their way to join us in the action to support the Right2Water European Citizens Initiative. Trade unionists from SIPTU on their way to join us in Brussels were redirected straight back to Ireland. We also had Belgian and European colleagues who had flown in that morning in order to join us for a social dialogue meeting in Central Administration, some of whom had used that metro-line to the meeting. I myself passed Maelbeek station minutes before the attack on my way to the ETUC Executive Committee nearby in the European Economic and Social Committee. Shortly after I arrived Belgian ETUC President Rudy de Leeuw got the message of the attacks in Maelbeek: the meeting was suspended, the building locked down. In those first minutes we sought to ascertain that all those we knew were safe and messages were sent to assure others that EPSU staff were unharmed. EPSU’s World Water Day action was cancelled. Several foreign union colleagues were held up at the airport. Later EPSU staff helped colleagues to find lodging and helped with rebooking. Staff returned home, shocked by what they had seen.
I walked from the ETUC meeting back to our office, through streets blocked to traffic. I witnessed many of the first-responders we represent, operating near our office in dangerous and uncertain conditions. Maelbeek is just a couple of minutes away. The ambulance drivers, the police and security forces, medical staff and fire-fighters were working hard everywhere. Ambulances and police cars drove up and down the street, the scream of their sirens a near constant presence that day. Later on cleaners, refuse collectors and others were called upon to clear the damage done. Our societies call upon these workers to go where others flee. Their services and dedication are vital to our survival and deserve our utmost respect. Yet it is this respect which is often denied to these workers when they seek improvements to their working conditions, recognition for their skills and resources for their work.
My flight to Bucharest for the South East European constituency meeting was cancelled. I would have used the departure hall that has since been devastated. I went by train instead, via Amsterdam. Long queues of people were standing in front of Brussels central station, with police checking travellers and their luggage. While waiting, sirens continued to scream through the air; cars with balaclava-clad police sped by. Helicopters hovered overhead – the hunt for one of the suspects was in full swing. Once in Bucharest, attendees stood together to send a message of solidarity to our Belgian colleagues. Our thoughts were for the families, co-workers and communities of those who had been killed or injured. It was emotional to be with our Turkish colleagues of DISK and KESK. Half a year ago they lost friends and members in the terrible attack on their peaceful demonstration in Ankara. And only recently have the Turkish capital and Istanbul experienced bomb-blasts once again. I and other staff received many messages of concern from colleagues expressing condolences and sympathy. The emails and letters of our French union colleagues were of consideration and passionate defiance; their grueling experience is still so fresh. It was the same from our colleagues in Russia, who recalled the plane that was shot down in the Sinai desert. There is a long and sad list of terror that includes all continents and people of so many nationalities. There were over 40 nationalities are among those killed and injured in Brussels. People on their way to work, workers that were handling suitcases and tickets, people that were members of Belgian unions.
Your messages are appreciated. They came from unions small and large. Union leaders, executive committees and individual trade union staff from across the world reached out to us. Many activists and European Works Council members showed their support. And it does give comfort to us. Because despite everything, this is what gives us inspiration. It matters to us what happens with others independent of our workplaces, religions or cultures: it is this very sense of solidarity that is crucial when we work together in defense of trade union rights in places we might never visit, for people who we might never meet.
This solidarity is something to build upon: it is a symbol of Our Europe, Our World, and Our Alternative to the terror and hatred that struck Brussels on 22 March 2016.
In solidarity
Jan Willem Goudriaan
EPSU General Secretary
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