Social plan at Belgacom. Negotiations at La Poste

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Negotiations over a social plan at Belgacom have been satisfactorily concluded despite opposition from one trade union. At La Poste, talks are still taking place between management and the trade unions on the implementation of a plan for rationalising distribution of the mail. In both cases, the result will be job losses.

The Belgacom Joint Committee finally approved the collective agreement on work organisation on 16 November. In particular, this will allow the telecommunications operator to dismiss civil servants. The plan was approved by the socialist General Confederation of Public Services (Centrale Générale des Services Publics/De Algemene Centrale der Openbare Diensten, CGSP/ACOD) and the liberal Federation of Liberal Trade Unions of Belgium (Centrale Générale des Syndicats Libéraux de Belgique/Algemene Centrale der Liberale Vakbonden van België, CGSLB/ACLVB), but rejected by the Confederation of Christian Trade Unions (Confédération des Syndicats Chrétiens/Algemeen Christelijk Vakverbond, CSC/ACV).

According to Belgacom management, 'this new agreement brings a substantive solution to the problem of redeployment and an innovative proposal dealing with the issue of end of career.' After redeploying almost 8,000 members of staff, Belgacom was unable to find a solution for about 430. The agreement adopted on 16 November provides that the civil servants concerned will be placed in 'structural availability' (disponibilité structurelle- a status wherein public sector workers will go on leave, but may be allocated to other public sector enterprises) starting on 31 December this year. Contract employees will be dismissed under the terms of legal provisions. A training package will enable employees at the ends of their careers to 'slow down and be involved in the training of Belgacom’s younger staff'. The training package, which will run until 2010, will be offered on a voluntary basis to all Belgacom employees who will have 36 years’ service at the age of 58. It is likely to affect 2,500 people by 2010. The cost to the publicly owned enterprise of this reorganisation will be EUR 337 million; it will be posted in the 2005 accounts.

After initial industrial action on 11 October, CSC Transcom issued notices of strikes fixed for 10 and 16 November. In this way, the Christian trade union sought to register its protest against the restructuring plan, but its opposition did not prevent a vote being taken on the plan in the Joint Committee.

At La Poste, trade unions and management are still locked in negotiations on implementation of the plan known as 'Géoroute 2'. For several months now, workers’ representatives have been exposing a number of problems such as a lack of equity between services, demands in terms of productivity (particularly for older workers) and numerous technical concerns linked to the tool that is supposed to rationalise postmen’s and postwomen’s walks.

The implementation of Géoroute 1 - it has been in place for almost a year in all La Poste offices - has already triggered numerous protests, and in a few weeks, offices both in the north and in the south of Belgium will come out on strike against the plan.

The Secretary of State for Public Enterprises, Bruno Tuybens, says that the new organisation of walks will result in La Poste losing 800-1,000 jobs (i.e. a 7.5% reduction in workforce needs). However, the new system will be introduced in accordance with procedures and, according to the Secretary of State, without the need for any compulsory redundancies. Surplus staff will leave the enterprise normally either by taking retirement or by resigning.

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