A strike notice issued by unions at TotalEnergies’ Antwerp refinery has been suspended, the socialist union ABVV-FGTB announced on Tuesday afternoon.
Union members will vote at the end of January on a new management proposal regarding seniority.
Workers at TotalEnergies had threatened to strike during the week of 13 to 17 January due to a lack of progress in negotiations over seniority agreements. The key issue concerns the calculation of salary scales linked to experience, significantly impacting wages.
On Tuesday, management announced it would present a proposal for workers in both the petroleum and chemical sectors.
The proposal, set to be put to a referendum on 20 January, involves fully recognising "non-relevant professional years" after five years of service as relevant professional experience.
Management emphasises that this is a broader application of the existing collective agreement, intended as a concession to the unions.
In late December, the unions had issued a strike notice set to expire on 13 January.
