Dutch retailer Albert Heijn’s warehouses in the Netherlands have been brought to a standstill since the end of April due to ongoing staff strikes, but the impact on the company's Belgian operations has only been "minimal."
Ann Maes, a spokesperson for the store, told Belga News Agency that while certain products are missing in its 70 Flemish branches, the disruption caused by the strike action is "only minor at the moment.”
However, she does expect “the more (these strikes) to be felt, the longer they last,” with no agreement in sight between employees and employers.
Indeed, the Dutch unions are unwilling to continue negotiations with management over the latest collective labour agreement.
Warehouse employees originally asked for a 14% pay rise to deal with the current cost of living crisis, which they then agreed to lower to 10%.
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Albert Heijn claims to have sent unions a proposal which included the agreed-upon rise. This has since been rejected by unions, on the ground they had "asked for a formal salary offer in order to know what was on the negotiating table. This is yet to arrive."
Moreover, various reports have stated that the company has only proposed an 8% pay rise, while also halving the benefits employees receive for working on Sundays.
