Seven Delhaize stores in Brussels are closed on Thursday, following staff strikes due to 'unsatisfactory' meetings between unions and the retail chain's management.
In 2019, Delhaize's operations underwent a reorganisation with the introduction of additional workers that could cover a whole range of shifts, as well as team dedicated to replacing absent members of staff, in a bid to increase the stores' efficiency and flexibility.
Only the socialist union BBTK had signed the collective labour agreement that regulated the reorganisation, but decided to renege on it this spring.
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As a result, a consultation meeting was held on Monday between the BBTK union, the liberal union ACLVB, and management, which yielded no results.
According to the secretary-general of the ACLVB, the situation has grown untenable, with "people continuing to express their unhappiness until a new consultation is scheduled."
Delhaize has since acknowledged the strike, which has resulted in the closure of seven of the chain's supermarkets in Brussels on Thursday. They also expressed remorse for the current situation and committed to further social dialogue with the unions.
