“Delhaize Trade Unions Plan National Day of Action for Retail Sector”

Despite three special works councils and two attempts at reconciliation led by a social mediator, consultations at Delhaize are still deadlocked. On March 7, the company presented its plan to privatize all of its 128 stores under its own management.

A works council, which has been planned for some time, will take place next Monday, but the unions do not expect much from it. Because only the trade union representatives at Delhaize itself can be present and the consultations have not yet yielded a breakthrough, the unions asked Delhaize on Saturday afternoon to even remove the discussion of the future plan from the agenda, but the management reportedly did not want to hear about it. .

At trade union ACV Puls, Kristel Van Damme says that the actions will necessarily have to be strengthened, ‘to affect Delhaize in one way or another’. But concrete means of action have yet to be agreed, she says.

The common trade union front is also continuing with the plan to organize a national day of action for the entire retail sector. A concrete date has yet to be set, but the date May 10 is circulating. Van Damme says he came out of the consultation with the Delhaize management ‘dejected’. “I don’t know how this can be straightened out. Actually, this is a big middle finger to the staff.’