Strike at Bpost: Unions Fight for Employment and Working Conditions Amidst New Distribution System

Since Monday, the French-speaking unions at bpost have been taking action due to concerns about the distribution of newspapers. The government’s decision to no longer use a concession system means publishers must now contract directly with postal companies, leading to fears among the unions about employment and working conditions at bpost. Despite this, Bpost has proposed transferring newspaper volumes gradually to its subsidiary AMP, which already handles supply for 4,000 points of sale nationwide.

Despite Bpost’s proposal, the unions remain opposed to the solution. Stéphane Daussaint of the Christian union CSC-Transcom Postes stated, “We have made some progress, but we need to address fundamental issues before resuming work.” Another meeting between management and the unions is scheduled for Thursday in Wallonia (Liège X and Charleroi X) and Brussels X. However, both Christian and socialist unions believe it is unlikely that staff will return to work due to their opposition to Bpost’s proposals.

The ongoing industrial action in Brussels and Wallonia has significantly disrupted the distribution of letters, parcels, and newspapers since Monday. Notably, there have been no trade union actions in Flanders. As negotiations between the unions and management at Bpost continue, it remains uncertain how long this situation will last before a resolution can be reached.