Newspaper publishers are concerned about the impact of a government decision to stop working with a concession at bpost. As a result, industrial action in the postal sorting centers in Wallonia (Liège X and Charleroi X) and Brussels X may continue. The French-speaking unions at bpost have been taking action since Monday due to these concerns.
In response, bpost has proposed a phased transfer of newspaper volumes to its subsidiary AMP, which already handles supplying 4,000 points of sale across the country. A company spokesperson stated that this solution avoids a social shock and meets the needs of newspaper publishers. However, Stéphane Daussaint of the Christian union CSC-Transcom Postes stated, “We still reject this solution. There is no formal agreement to resume work. We have made some progress, but we need to get back to basics first.”
Despite this setback, a new meeting between management and the unions is scheduled for Thursday in hopes of reaching an agreement on resuming work. However, the Christian and socialist unions believe it is unlikely that staff will resume work unless significant changes are made in regards to employment and working conditions at bpost.
