All three of the capital’s sorting offices remained closed on Friday as pickets continue block access to them. Postal workers employed by the Belgian post office Bpost have been taking industrial action since late last month amid 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, while the number of parcels it delivers has increased significantly. However, staff that work for Bpost argue that the proposals would have too great an impact on their lives outside of work.
Negotiations between Bpost management and the trade unions broke down last week and since then access to all 3 postal distribution centres in the capital has been blocked by pickets. This has left Brussels without mail deliveries for nearly 2 weeks. Some distribution centres in Wallonia are also being picketed, while in Flanders no distribution centres are being blockaded.
Most staff are back at work
The Federal Minister responsible for state-owned buisnesses Vanessa Matz (Francophone centrist) told the Francophone public broadcaster RTBF that most Bpost workers are not on strike. Ms Matz says that 90% are working. Meanwhile, Bpost’s spokesman Mathieu Goedefroy says that "a minority" of staff are responsible for blockading the Brussels distribution centres.
Ms 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 announced of the deal before it had been put to the rank and file frustrated the unions.
Meanwhile, reports this week that the Federal Government plans to cut Bpost's annual subsidy have done little to improve morale. Ms Matz has confirmed that some post offices will close but strongly denied that the cuts would be on the scale reported.