Staff working for the Belgium importer of PSA, manufacturer of French brands Peugeot and Citroen vehicles, voted largely in favour of the agreement reached by the management and the joint union front. “Of 137 voters, 134 approved the plan,” explained Pascal Strube, full-time member of SETCa union, on Tuesday. The PSA importer announced plans to restructure its Benelux activities to make them more profitable, in March. Initially the Braine-l'Alleud and Wauthier-Braine sites would have seen over 90 layoffs out of a workforce of 230. The number of layoffs was brought down to 68.
Long negotiations enabled Peugeot-Citroen (PSA) Benelux management and the joint union front to reach a protocol agreement on a social plan. The main bone of contention was whether to give over-55s the choice between unemployment benefits with company add-ons (RCC, formerly called pre-pension) or the benefit of the social plan. “Management tried to bully us into this but we held fast,” said Mr. Strube.
Most layoffs will affect admin staff, especially those working in customer service and management support for car dealerships.
(Source: Belga)
