According to Delhaize, the two supermarkets are closed after vandalism. It would be so serious that some employees have filed a complaint, says a spokesperson. The shops will certainly remain closed on Tuesday and Wednesday, after which an evaluation will follow. The staff of those two stores who want to work will be sent to other branches. Those who do not want to work can strike or take leave.
The unions state that Delhaize had requested a police intervention in Flagey because some employees did not want to leave the store. According to the unions, the police did not intervene at the request of Christos Doulkeridis, the mayor of Ixelles, who believes that it is not the role of the police to intervene in a social conflict.
The common trade union front denounces an “increasingly violent” behavior of the management. According to them, the closures are a ‘lockout’, a closure decided by the employer to respond to a collective conflict such as a strike. This is to put pressure on the strikers, since the non-strikers are no longer paid, it sounds.
“Should we go to court to stop this, or is Delhaize still circumventing the law by having temporary contract changes signed,” the unions said. According to them, the management is bypassing the union delegation by making the employees sign a document so that they can work in another store. The work regulations state that the agreement of the trade union delegation is required for this, according to the trade union front.
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