Management and staff unions at bpost are close to reaching a deal to end a labour dispute which has disrupted the distribution of mail and parcels at the Belgian postal utility over the past week.
In a brief statement yesterday evening, the state-owned company said that following (the unions') decision (yesterday at midday) to suspend industrial action, the two parties had continued their discussions “and reached a draft agreement with a view to re-establishing confidence and giving priority to the well-being of (bpost) personnel”.
The statement added that from today, the unions would present to their members the different measures in the draft agreement. “The two parties have also made a commitment to meeting again in the very near future to conclude a Collective Work Agreement for the period 2019-2020,” it added.
The rolling strikes that have hit bpost during the past week have been largely in protest to working conditions and restructuring measures.
Ahead of the industrial action, the CGSP Poste staff union warned that stoppages each day – between November 7-12 would focus on specific branches of bpost's business, beginning in sorting centres followed by transport, distribution, retail, call centres, parcels, international services and the facility located at Brussels Airport's Brucargo cargo zone.
Speaking in the Belgian media, the union’s general secretary, Jacques Lespagnard said there were a number of reasons for the strike call which included excessive workloads, the company's new organisation programme “that wasn't working”, a lack of personnel and inadequate training.
In May this year, bpost restructured its activities into three business units, Mail & Retail, Parcels & Logistics Europe & Asia and Parcels & Logistics North America, in response to the acceleration of the mail volume decline, the increase in parcel volumes and e-commerce logistics value creation.
In a letter to staff, CEO Koen Van Gerven said he “understood that the changes in the company were a worry to some workers” and that he “would do his best to respond to such apprehension so that everybody can participate in our future”.
However, he made it clear that a key priority in bpost moving forward was its financial well-being and a service offering adapted to market requirements.
