Staff at some of Delhaize's largest supermarkets spontaneously went on strike on Tuesday morning, after Delhaize announced that all shops would be transferred to independent operators.
In a widely condemned message, the Delhaize supermarket chain has announced that all Belgian stores currently managed by the supermarket chain will be transformed into franchises, directly contradicting previous assurances to employees. Consequently, staff in various shops in Brussels, Antwerp and Ghent have spontaneously taken the decision to stop working.
Customers can no longer enter the shops where staff have laid down work. Both the entrance to the large Delhaize on the Watersportbaan in Ghent and the one on the Boomsesteenweg in Wilrijk closed at around 09:45.
Tweet translation: Staff in several Delhaize shops are laying off work. Rightly so!"
There are also actions in the capital. "In Brussels, almost all shops are on strike," said the secretary of the General Confederation of Liberal Trade Unions of Belgium (ACLVB), Wilson Wellens.
Kristel Van Damme, sector manager of retail at the Christian trade union ACV Puls, took to Twitter to share her thoughts.
