A new consultation between the unions and management at bpost did not result in an agreement on Wednesday. As a result, industrial action in the postal sorting centers in Wallonia (Liège X and Charleroi X) and in Brussels X may continue.
The French-speaking unions at bpost have been taking action since Monday because they are concerned about the distribution of newspapers. The government decided to no longer work with a concession, meaning publishers have to enter into contracts with postal companies themselves. The unions fear an impact on employment and working conditions at bpost.
Bpost has proposed a phased transfer of newspaper volumes to its subsidiary AMP. AMP is already responsible for supplying 4,000 points of sale across the country. “This solution avoids a social shock and meets the needs of newspaper publishers,” said a company spokesperson.
“We still reject this solution. There is no formal agreement to resume work,” said Stéphane Daussaint of the Christian union CSC-Transcom Postes. “We have made some progress, but we need to get back to basics first.”
A new meeting between management and the unions is scheduled for Thursday. According to the Christian and socialist unions, it is unlikely that staff will resume work.
In Brussels and Wallonia, the distribution of letters, parcels and newspapers has been severely disrupted since Monday. There are no trade union actions in Flanders.