At an extraordinary works council meeting on Wednesday, the Mestdagh group confirmed that it would be franchising five additional shops on 4 September, Évelyne Zabus, a CNE union delegate, told Belga, confirming a report by RTBF.
The shops concerned are located in Bouge, Braine-l’Alleud, Gilly, Couillet and Wavre.
This Wednesday’s announcement comes as no particular surprise to the CNE, which points to the Mestdagh Group’s intention is to franchise all of its 51 stores by the end of the year.
“The buyers of these five chains are all already in charge of an Intermarché,” stresses Zabus. “The employees of these locations will receive, like the workers of the 17 locations already franchised at the beginning of July, a document setting out all their rights in terms of working conditions and pay.”
This last point had been the subject of heated discussions between management and unions. While the latter finally obtained this breakthrough, the union delegate still has reservations about respect for workers’ rights.
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“In just three weeks of franchising, there are already buyers who are insisting that their workers work six days a week instead of five. Yet we met these buyers at the end of June and they swore that they would honour their commitments.” The CNE will also be paying close attention to the payment of wages between now and the end of July.
A new extraordinary works council is scheduled for the end of August and a new wave of franchises should be announced for October.
