As per reports, employees at the TotalEnergies refinery in the Port of Antwerp are scheduled to conduct a week-long strike from 18 May through 22 May, following the breakdown of negotiations between trade unions and refinery management regarding the collective labour agreement for 2025–2026.

The refinery, which employs approximately 1,300 workers, is expected to begin staged shutdown operations from Friday (08 May) in preparation for the strike.

• According to union representatives, the phased shutdown process is required to safely disconnect refinery installations in accordance with industrial safety and environmental procedures.
• Negotiations between management and labour unions, including the socialist trade union ABVV and the Christian trade union ACV, reportedly failed to produce an agreement during talks held on Wednesday (06 May).
• Union representatives stated that workers rejected management’s latest proposal, citing dissatisfaction regarding bonuses, working conditions, overtime arrangements, and end-of-career measures for shift workers.
• Management stated that revisions had been made to the previous proposal, including additional flexibility for overtime recovery periods and flexible starting hours for maintenance staff. However, unions indicated that the measures remain insufficient to prevent the strike.