BWI on the school construction site collapse in Belgium

Five workers were killed and another nine were critically injured at a construction site in Antwerp, Belgium on 19 June after a section of a school building under construction collapsed, pulling down the scaffolding supporting it. 

BWI is saddened by the tragic incident and expresses its solidarity with the families of construction workers who lost their lives and seriously injured. 

BWI said that it is concerned over reports that all the deceased workers were migrant posters workers, four Portuguese and one Romanian. Likewise, those injured came from outside the European Union (EU). They were reportedly employed by companies in the subcontracting chain, with Belgian company Democo acting as the main contractor. 

The global union highlighted the importance of enhancing protection for the said workers, which it described as one of the most vulnerable groups in the industry’s labour force. BWI reiterated its support for its Belgian affiliates ACV BiE and CG FGTB. In a message to the trade unions on 22 June, BWI supported their call to ensure the prioritisation of healthy and safe workplaces.   

(Photo: Nicolas Maeterlinck/BELGA/AFP/Getty Images)