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Late 2001 saw three days of strikes at the Belgian Post Group, in protest against management's plans to close smaller post offices and reduce the number of sorting centres in advance of EU-wide liberalisation of postal services.
The Belgian Post Group must be ready for the liberalised European Union market for postal services by 2005 (EU9812136F). By reducing the number of sorting centres from five to three and closing 400 smaller unprofitable post offices, Frans Rombouts, chief executive of the Belgian Post Group, is seeking to bring the company a step closer to the coming liberalised market (BE0003305N). However, this process has met with opposition from staff.
At the end of November 2001, a united front of trade unions organised three days of strikes in postal services. The unions involved were: the General Confederation of Public Services (Centrale Générale des Services Publics/Algemene Centrale der Openbare Diensten, CGSP/ACOD) affiliated to the Belgian General Federation of Labour (Fédération Générale du Travail de Belgique/Algemeen Belgisch Vakverbond, FGTB/ABVV); Transcom, the communication workers' union affiliated to the Confederation of Christian Trade Unions (Confédération des Syndicats Chrétiens/Algemeen Christelijk Vakverbond, CSC/ACV); and the liberal Free Public Service Union, (Syndicat Libre de la Fonction Publique/Vrij Syndicaat van het Openbaar Ambt, SLFP/VSOA). They reacted sharply to the news of the closures, and particularly to the way it was announced through the media without prior notification to the unions.
In their protests, the unions referred to a framework agreement on job security previously concluded for the 2001-4 period. This agreement provides for workforce reductions through natural wastage and early retirement for those aged 57 or over. The basic principle was that there would be no compulsory redundancies. The unions believe that the newly announced plans to reduce the number of sorting centres and to close the smaller post offices will cut a total of 2,800 jobs.
Alleged poor communications on the part of management has since led to the dismissal of Frans Rombouts as chief executive of the Belgian Post Group, with the government appointing Johnny Thijs in his place. Mr Thijs has been assigned the task of putting together a new executive committee. The composition of this committee will reveal whether the government will allow the post office to go in the direction of a real private company, or whether there will be a 'repoliticisation' of the current public company.
Together with the SABENA airline debacle, which resulted in the largest bankruptcy ever in Belgian history (BE0108359F), the Belgian Post Group affair has stirred up vigorous debate among politicians and trade unions on the future of public companies.