Following the announcement earlier this week that Tupperware's factory in Aalst will close next year and 225 jobs will be lost, it has been confirmed that the brand's research division in Belgium will also close, affecting a further 44 roles.
The American multinational has struggled with substantial debt and filed for bankruptcy in the US earlier this year. But at the last minute the company was taken over by creditors Stonehill Capital Management Partners and Alden Global Capital. The consequences for the company's operations in Belgium have since been unclear.
The Tupperware factory in Aalst in East Flanders employs 225 people. Unions learned on Thursday that the factory will no longer have a licence to produce or sell Tupperware products from 8 January 2025. This will force the Belgian branch to cease operations.
It has also been made clear that Tupperware General Services, a division of Tupperware also located in Aalst which conducts research on plastic for the American multinational, will close after the factory's shutdown. This will affect some 44 people who work at the company.
Staff at the Aalst factory remained on the job on Friday, despite the announcement. Unions have advised them to continue working, albeit at a "very calm" pace, according to a union source.
