Around forty Mestdagh by Intermarché locations in Belgium remained on strike on Saturday, with employees blocking entrance to the supermarket chain’s warehouse in Gosselies near Charleroi, the company’s management announced on Saturday.
As previously reported, language tensions and other administrative issues following Intermarchés takeover of franchise locations of Mestdagh have caused anger among employees.
Employees complain that, after the takeover of the former Carrefour Market by Mestdagh locations, Intermarché failed to invest into the new locations and assure proper working conditions for its employees.
French supermarket giant Intermarché’s management hopes that the situation will soon calm down in following discussions with the union on the question of voluntary departures.
For several weeks, the changeover of 51 Mestdagh locations towards a franchise partner model of Intermarché has caused discontent among workers. The striking employees asked the company’s management for guarantees about their working conditions. An extraordinary work council was held on Wednesday afternoon at the group’s headquarters, but it ended in failure.
Union delegates then called on staff to go on strike. Since then, around 40 locations involved in the change of operating model have kept their doors closed to customers and a picket was established in front of the company’s warehouse.
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Only around ten of the newly integrated stores remain open. All of the Intermarché brand stores are operating normally.
