Disrupted services due to actions by Ostend city staff

Christoph Vandenbulcke, ACV Public Services: “We are seriously concerned about the adjusted multi-year plan of the Ostend administration. An efficiency exercise is planned for all services. The target is a 3.5% reduction in staff. The city guarantees that the staff reduction will not come with naked layoffs. However, we are not given any information on how this will happen, which services will be affected and how the workload will be distributed among other staff.”

The unions also believe that the City of Ostend does not respect social dialogue. “Ostend staff cannot be presented with fait accomplis again: earlier this legislature, the city’s home care has already been privatized and it has been decided to split off the hospital campus Henri Serruys from AZ Sint-Jan and to merge with AZ Damiaan, which de facto also means privatization. We demand respect for all staff of the Ostend board.”