In both Flanders and Wallonia, union representatives of the employees of the banking group Fortis are organising action against a plan to centralise various administrative departments.
On the 18th January, the social partners began a round of negotiations on the Belgian competitive position. It appears that the Belgian economy, once more, is suffering from a wage disadvantage compared to its principal trading partners. The discussions should take continue over a number of weeks.
The employers’ and workers’ organisations represented on the National Labour Council (Conseil National du Travail/Nationale Arbeidsraad, CNT/ NAR) concluded a collective agreement on tele-working on 9 November. It transposes the framework agreement signed by the social partners in July 2002, and
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
The new collective agreement at La Poste failed to win the approval of all workers' representatives. A notice of strike has been filed in Brussels and Flanders. Meanwhile, management has begun the renegotiation of the firm's management contract, even as La Poste gets set to form part of a consortium
The Volkswagen plant in Brussels, with a workforce of 5,630, is not threatened with shutdown by the German group, but like other group sites it will have to submit to a cost-cutting plan. A new collective agreement is currently being negotiated.
The German chemicals giant BASF announced on 15 June the shutdown of its main production lines at its Feluy site (southern Belgium). The restructuring is expected to result in the loss of 203 of a total of 306 jobs and to slash current production capacity at the Feluy site by 75 to 80%. Management
After weeks of conflict between management and unions, on 7 June last the personnel of the Belgian subsidiary of FNAC Group approved by an overwhelming majority a recovery plan that includes wage cost-cutting measures, but also an investment plan guaranteeing the opening of four new shops over the
The public bus system has been affected, over several weeks, by repeated strikes. The management of the Walloon Regional Transport Company (Société Régionale Wallonne des Transports, SRWT) is not in agreement with the workers’ wage demands. The dispute has been exacerbated by the resignations of
The steel group Arcelor went ahead, on the 26th April, with the closure of the last but one active blast furnace in the Liège steel producing area (East of Belgium). This is the first implementation of the decision taken by Arcelor to close the 'hot phases' of its continental sites, which are less