No more Delhaize stores are closed due to staff strikes over its franchising plans, the company announced on Wednesday.
The company confirmed that they will continue to self-manage their shops until a prospective buyer is found. However, unions remain critical of Delhaize’s proposals.
The SETCa’s president Myriam Delmée stated that the company is still failing to guarantee their employees’ job security, describing their efforts as “selling us a gift-wrapped turd.”
Delhaize also announced that all of its stores will remain open until 2028, whether they are franchised or not.
This also comes after company management and representative unions held another failed works council meeting on Tuesday evening. Unions walked out after Delhaize continued to discuss their future franchising plans at the negotiating table.
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Moreover, unions have felt blindsided by Tuesday's legal ruling, with a previous ban on strike pickets outside of Delhaize's supermarkets and depots was extended to the whole of Belgium. Company management will now be allowed to send bailiffs to all shops that will be closed by strike actions in the future.
This will not deter unions, however, with the ACVLB representative Wilson Wellens stating that "it is unfortunate that Delhaize is spending time on further escalations, but the workers are still motivated to take action".
Another works council meeting is scheduled for 22 May, with unions calling for a national strike on the same day due to the legal restrictions set on their actions.
