Awwal 12, 1432 H/Feb 15, 2011, SPA -- A wildcat strike called by public transport workers who were angered by an attack on a colleague left Brussels gridlocked on Tuesday. The strike started Monday evening, after word spread that a passenger had punched a metro driver. But according to local news reports, security camera footage showed that the metro driver was the one who threw the first punch. The man had apparently lashed out at a young passenger, accompanied by a woman and a child, who appeared to have addressed him in an "aggressive" tone, dpa cited Belga news agency as reporting. "According to the footage, the first punch was delivered by the driver, provoking an exchange of several blows between the two protagonists," the report said. The driver hurt his forearm, while the passenger suffered cuts to his left cheekbone. As a result of the fight, in which a security guard was also injured, all metro, tram and bus services in Brussels were suspended, and were not expected to resume before Wednesday. Last week, a smaller wildcat strike was held by bus and tram drivers after one of their colleagues was assaulted. Trade unions insisted on greater security guarantees for their personnel. "Police support is a sensitive issue. (Our members) cannot count on them," said Luk Smekens from the CSC trade union. The strike left traffic paralysed, with rush-hour gridlock clogging main roads up to one hour earlier than usual. Tuesday is also the day that residents in central Brussels put out their garbage bags for collection - so refuse collection lorries blocked movement on many of the capital's narrow streets.
