Staff at 83 Delhaize supermarket shops continue to keep doors closed on Friday, especially in Brussels and Wallonia, as the strike action – now lasting ten days and in some outlets expected to extend until Sunday – continues.
Employees at the supermarket chain are protesting the decision to franchise the 128 stores that remained under its direct management.
There are 83 shops closed on Friday, confirmed Delhaize spokesman Roel Dekelver. In Flanders, the majority (70%) of the chain’s own shops are open. In Brussels and Wallonia, none of Delhaize’s own stores are open on Friday.
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Staff are protesting against the chain’s plans to spin off all 128 of its own shops. That announcement, made on Tuesday 7 March, has led to massive employee protests. Unions sat down with management earlier this week, but the refusal to consider alternatives resulted in the unions walking out of the meeting after 15 minutes.
