For the first time since the strike at Belgian postal services provider Bpost began in late March of this year, there are no longer any blockades at the postal and parcel service operator. All distribution centres, including the three in Brussels, are open.
“This morning we received the news that there are no longer any blockades anywhere,” said Bnode CEO Chris Peeters. Bnode is Bpost’s holding company. “It is the first time since the start of the strikes.”
In Brussels and Wallonia, there are still a number of postal workers on strike, but these are said to be isolated cases. In Flanders, there are no longer any strikes.
Significant backlog
The situation is returning to near-normal, despite the fact that there are still significant backlogs to clear. “It will take us 10 to 14 days to catch up. The biggest problems are in Brussels and Wallonia, but there has also been some impact in Flanders due to the strikes in the south of the country.”
The disruption of recent weeks has led to frustrated consumers and customers. “We are trying to restore their trust as best we can,” emphasises Peeters. “We also need to work with our customers to see how we can resolve this and convince them of our strengths.”
Strikes since early March
At Bpost, some staff have been on strike since March. There is concern over the company’s plans to adjust working hours in order better to adapt to the new realities of the parcel market.
The aim was to reach a final agreement on the transformation plan last week. That deadline was not met, but an agreement between management and the unions is now well and truly in sight, according to Peeters.
“The broad outlines have been agreed, there is a framework, but a number of steps still need to be taken.” And those steps will be taken from Wednesday onwards. “We’ll be back around the table then. That will continue throughout the month, until we’ve worked out all the details.”