Brussels left without mail for nearly two weeks as Bpost strike drags on
All three of Bpost's distribution centres in Brussels remained blocked on Friday, leaving the capital without postal service for close to two weeks. Strikes at the Belgian postal operator have been under way since late March, driven by staff concerns over the company's plans to adjust working hours.
Bpost employees are protesting a proposed shift of working hours to later in the day. Management says the change is necessary because the company now delivers far fewer letters and far more parcels than it once did. Employees, however, argue that the proposals would have too great an impact on their private lives.
Negotiations with unions broke down last week, leading to a blockade of all three distribution centres in Brussels. As such, residents of Belgium's capital have been left without mail deliveries for nearly two weeks. In Wallonia, blockades have also been put in place in several areas. In Flanders, individual strikes are occurring but no distribution centres are being blocked.
Most staff back at work
The majority of Bpost workers are not taking part in the strike, Public Enterprises minister Vanessa Matz told French-language radio station La Premiere on Friday morning. According to Matz, roughly nine out of ten Bpost employees had returned to work that day. Spokesperson Mathieu Goedefroy said "a minority" of staff was responsible for blocking the Brussels distribution centres.
Minister Matz stressed that Bpost management had reached an agreement with trade unions on the reform, including a framework for working-hours flexibility. However, the company's public announcement of a deal frustrated some employees, as union members had not yet given their approval.
Reports this week that the federal government plans to cut Bpost's annual subsidy have done little to improve morale. Matz confirmed that some post offices would close but strongly denied that the cuts would be on the scale reported. "We will be creative, we will achieve the savings, but not at the expense of the service," she said. "I want to ensure that at least one post office remains in every municipality."
© BELGA PHOTO ERIC LALMAND
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