Mail deliveries in Belgium will be disrupted on Monday and Tuesday as a result of a 24-hour strike announced by Socialist and Christian trade unions, bpost warned on Friday, adding that in some regions the disruptions could last until next Friday.
The postal company said it would send as many packages and letters to its distribution centres on Friday. Strike pickets are expected to be set up at sorting centres on Sunday night, after which it will no longer be possible to transport the mail. As a result, deliveries will be heavily affected on Monday.
Sorting centres will reopen on Tuesday morning, but transport will be very limited. This will lead to reduced volumes of mail being distributed. The disruption will last for some days, a bpost spokesperson said. In some regions, it could take up to Friday to bring the service back to normal.
However, newspapers will be distributed throughout the country on Monday and Tuesday.
The Centrale Générale des Services Publics (CSGP) and the Confédération de Syndicats chrétiens (CSC) called the strike at bpost for June 13 in protest against any form of privatization and to press demands for solutions to a series of structural problems, particularly at sorting and distribution centers.
The move came amid a wave of discontent among bpost personnel following the announcement in late May of negotiations on a possible merger with the Dutch postal services.
(Belga)
Heavy disruptions in postal services expected from strike at bpost
