Postal services in Wallonia and Brussels are likely to continue experiencing disruptions following ongoing strike action by Bpost workers, according to union representatives.
Thursday evening saw the halt of transport activities at 22:00, resulting in the inability of most trucks to deliver mail and parcels to distribution offices, reported Thierry Tasset, Secretary General of CGSP Poste, alongside Stéphane Daussaint, General Manager of CSC-Transcom Postes.
Many workers who took part in Monday’s strikes, including those who picketed at sorting centres in Liège X and Charleroi X, may not return to work on Tuesday, added spokespersons for the socialist and Christian unions.
On Monday, almost no postal workers in the capital and southern region of the country went out for deliveries, except for a few who proceeded with their routes. Operations in Flanders ran normally, save for in the region of Limburg.
Company management expressed regret over the disruptions, stating: "The priority is social dialogue". An upcoming meeting with union representatives scheduled for Wednesday could instead take place on Tuesday, hinted union sources on Monday afternoon.
According to the Belgian newspaper Le Soir, quoting Rossel publisher CEO Bernard Marchant, Bpost may be close to reaching an agreement with newspaper publishers to ensure delivery services till the end of 2026. Discussions seem to have proceeded well, confirmed François Le Hodey, CEO of IMP group and Lapresse.be President.
However, unions have expressed opposition, fearing job losses should the contract fall through. "We will hand over the newspapers to AMP from 1 May, not 1 July, and let them figure out how to distribute," warned Thierry Tasset.
The union representative also signalled that actions will persist without written commitments from bpost management, regardless of whether a meeting takes place on Tuesday or Wednesday.
Daussaint had warned that a month-long strike would take place from 22 April if there was "no profound change in the company's visions in terms of restructuring and the way it organises press distribution.".
