The French-language Christian trade union CNE has launched an official call for a boycott of the supermarket chain Delhaize following months of the two sides engaging in a labour dispute that shows no signs of reaching a resolution.
The union explained that its new Boycott Delhaize website was launched to hit the bottom line of Delhaize's plan to franchise its 128 self-managed shops: its profits. According to the union, the supermarket chain has no shortage of money, which it emphasised by announcing the €6,5 billion earned by its CEO in 2022.
As the unions see it, the only motivation for franchising the supermarkets is to ultimately make more money, by distancing themselves from the employees and creating an environment where working conditions, wages and jobs are ultimately diminished.
Desperation breeds innovation
As meetings with management and even an appointed mediator have not yet borne fruit, the union representing the affected staff decided to set up an official website calling for a public boycott of the chain.
Staff protest during a meeting between trade unions and management of supermarket chain Delhaize. Credit: Belga / Benoit Doppagne
With the website, a person can sign up and state that they are boycotting the supermarket chain, as well as insert how much they spend on average every week. Following this, the system then calculates to reveal how much money Delhaize could be losing through the boycott. At the time of writing, the counter was at €1,604,042.
Although the move is the first of its kind, industrial relations expert Manou Doutrepont said on Radio 1 that it may have negative consequences for the employees, VRT reported.
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"The strikes did not bear fruit, legally the union cannot stop Delhaize's decision," Doutrepont said. "So now the unions want to influence third parties." With the website as well as staff continuing to keep shops closed – illegally – the expert fears that "they may well be heading for their own dismissal."
Yet the Delhaize's franchising plans will also allow it to "offload all risk, including bankruptcy while capturing profits" and will create unfair competition for real independent owners who will not have the bargaining power over suppliers that the multinational company does, the new website states.
