BRUSSELS - (AFP) - Belgian unions called a strike Wednesday that is expected to greatly affect public services and businesses across the country, in light of rising energy bills.

The strike will cause the cancellation of flights and trains and the closure of major stores.

The aim of the strike is to demand an increase in purchasing power, and a number of trade union officials expected massive participation in the movement.

Union officials expected the organization of "hundreds of strikes" in front of companies and some public administrations.

A spokeswoman for Brussels International Airport, the largest in the country, announced the cancellation of 60 percent of scheduled flights due to the lack of sufficient staff.

Charleroi Airport (South), the second largest airport in the country in terms of passenger traffic and the main continental link for "Rain Air", will be closed.

On Tuesday evening, the airport operating company announced on its website that "all commercial flights" scheduled to take off from the airport had been cancelled.

In the railway sector, traffic will be limited to a quarter of the trains. The railway operator expected disturbances as of 22:00 on Tuesday night (21:00 GMT).

The strike is being carried out at the invitation of the largest trade union confederation in Belgium, the FGTP (Socialist) and with the support of the CSC (Christian Trade Union).

The CGSLB union (liberal) preferred to describe the matter as a "day of action" rather than a general strike.

The FGTP and CSC see the strike as a means of pressure to raise wages in a number of sectors.