The strike at the courier company UPS in Diegem (Flemish Brabant) entered a second day on Wednesday. At the end of April, it emerged the US company was cutting 20,000 jobs worldwide.
'The management does not want to concede anything. Even things that were promised verbally, they do not want to put on paper,' says liberal union chief Fouad Bougrine. ‘This means the strike continues.’
The strike broke out on Tuesday, partly due to concerns about the future of the Diegem-based division. The unions are demanding guarantees on job security.
According to Hans Elsen of Christian union ACV, UPS employs about 800 people in Diegem. The company also operates a site in Lummen (Limburg) with 150 employees.
In a written response the UPS management hinted that it has no plans to move out of Belgium or the Diegem site, which it says, ‘is strategically located’.
At the end of April, it emerged that the US company was going to cut 20,000 jobs worldwide. Worldwide, nearly 490,000 people work for UPS.