Belgian Post and the country’s postal unions yesterday resumed negotiations over restructuringmeasures after a three-day strike that disrupted mail and parcel delivery across the country.
Postal employees returned to work on Wednesday evening and Thursday morning, ending thethree-day stoppage that closed down most of the mail and parcel sorting centres. The strike wascalled in protest at the closure of small post offices and their replacement by Point Posteagencies, as well as at plans to replace employees with temporary workers (‘livreurs de courrier’)on lower wages.
Belgian Post said in a statement that yesterday’s meeting with unions had been held in a “constructive atmosphere” and further meetings would be held in the coming days and weeks in orderto find solutions to the problems.
Belgian Post promised to make an in-depth analysis of all the issues surrounding theintroduction of the part-time contract workers and stressed: “The introduction of the ‘livreurs decourrier’ will in any case only take place after the summer.”
Other restructuring measures in the mail and retail divisions would be reviewed with unionsover the coming days. Both sides hoped to agree a new collective working agreement within the nextfew weeks, the postal operator added.
CEO Johnny Thijs declared: “I’m pleased about the resumption of negotiations betweenmanagement and unions. We will do everything possible to make up for the impact of the strikeaction on customers as quickly as possible. I’m confident that we will be able to concludeagreements that are satisfactory to all sides, taking account of the worsened economic situationand its impact on Belgian Post.”
