Talks between unions and management at Belgium's postal service, bpost, have stalled, prolonging a strike that began in Wallonia and Brussels and spread to Flanders on Wednesday.
Thierry Tasset, secretary general of the CGSP Poste trade union, described the discussions as “deadlocked” after lengthy negotiations failed to yield progress. “The movement will continue and worsen,” he warned.
In contrast, the bpost management called the talks “constructive.” Spokesperson Laura Cerrada Crespo noted that proposals were presented during the meeting but added that work was unlikely to resume before Tuesday due to Monday’s public holiday.
A new meeting is scheduled for Friday.
The talks focused on bpost’s transformation plan and a revision of the collective labour agreement.
Employees oppose the proposed changes to their schedules and the increased flexibility expected in postal work.
Management argues that these changes are necessary to turn bpost into a competitive parcel delivery company.
“Letter deliveries alone are no longer sufficient,” said spokesperson Mathieu Goedefroy. “Customers expect parcels to be delivered the day after ordering or even on the same day. This isn’t feasible if postmen start work at 7 a.m.”
Despite this, Goedefroy stressed that the company is open to listening to employee concerns.
Bpost employs about 26,000 people.
