Construction sites, car  plants, public transportation and the port of Antwerp are all expected to shut down Friday, October 28 as workers in Belgium take part in the second one-day national strike this month to protest government plans to push back the national retirement age.

On October 7, Belgium 's first general strike since 1993 was called by the nation's largest socialist union to protest Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt's attempt to raise Belgium 's retirement age from 58 to 60 as a way to cut social security and pension costs.

Around 300,000 union workers stayed home, paralyzing the country.  Strikers picketed entrances to factories and offices around the country.

The Port of Antwerp , one of Europe 's largest ports, was shut for business as dockers refused to work. The 24-hour strike halted the high-speed Eurostar train and delayed flights from Brussels International Airport .

A Reuters report said that if the two sides did not reach an agreement, a larger strike would be staged near the end of October.