The Colruyt supermarkets in Alsemberg and Veeweide (Anderlecht) are currently closed due to a union action. The unions thus respond to the failure of the social dialogue.
–
This morning, two Colruyt stores remained closed after the failure of the sector consultation in the trade about additional corona measures. The unions accuse Colruyt of having put on the brakes. “We are sending a signal to make it clear that we are not pleased with their attitude,” said Kristel Van Damme of ACV Puls about the action.
The trade federation Comeos responded to the action this morning by requesting a reconciliation meeting.
Consultations between the trade federation Comeos and the unions of the supermarket companies had failed on Friday night. It was the third time in a week that a sector agreement was sought on corona measures that the unions were calling. They focus on three things: security measures, financial compensation and welfare measures.
Comeos took over the negotiations last week in an attempt to reach a sector agreement, instead of continuing to search for agreements by company. It is expected that after the failed consultation, the issue will now be discussed again per company.
No paid breaks
The sector negotiations have turned to the demand for welfare measures. Specifically, the unions asked for paid breaks to be taken in the form of a paid break of 15 minutes every four hours. The break could also be saved up to a day of leave. A paid 15-minute leave used to exist at Carrefour.
The unions are disappointed that an agreement was not possible. They felt that the original dynamics, negotiations per company, would have paid off. Delhaize and Carrefour seemed to have already been on the path of additional measures. According to the unions, Colruyt decided to opt for a sector agreement, in the hope that this would work out cheaper.
However, an agreement was in the making on two measures: on meticulous security measures and a premium of 500 euros that would be awarded net as much as possible. For Comeos, that premium should cover the period until the end of June 2021, in exchange for absolute social peace. The unions considered this a long period.
According to Frank Convents of ACV Puls, it was 500 euros less than what Colruyt offered during the first wave. During the first wave, employees received an increased meal allowance of 4 euros per day plus 5 extra recovery days. Convents also says there is concern among staff about the winter ahead. ‘If customers have to queue outside in the cold, that will cause problems. And you can’t let everyone into the store at the same time. You already have a small group of customers who are fairly harsh towards the staff. We fear this will get worse. ‘
The unions will now try to reach an agreement for each company, says Van Damme. This week is the autumn break, which makes negotiating more difficult. The period of the social elections starts on 9 November. Companies where the unions come up are given two weeks to have the elections take place.
– .
