Delhaize: more integrated Delhaize supermarkets closed on Saturday than during the week
Seventy-three integrated Delhaize supermarkets were inaccessible on Saturday due to strike action by staff, a spokesman for the lion brand said on Saturday, noting that this number is higher than during the week. On the other hand, 55 directly operated stores opened their doors. No deposit blocking action was also underway on Saturday.
At the beginning of March, the management of the distribution group announced that it wanted to franchise all of its 128 stores under its own management, which provoked an outcry from the unions and misunderstanding among the workers.
Since then, many of these supermarkets have remained closed, particularly in Brussels and Wallonia. Among the branches accessible on Saturday, there were none in the capital (which has 22) and only ten (out of 41) in the south of the country. In Flanders, 45 stores opened normally. Since the beginning of the actions, the disturbances have always been a little more important at the weekend than during the week.
Also note that the distribution group’s depots were operating normally on Saturday.
For their part, the unions announced various rallying actions this Saturday in front of around forty Delhaize across the country, including the 22 located in Brussels and those of Tournai, Verviers, Nivelles and Marche. The workers’ representatives wish in this way to demonstrate their solidarity with the employees concerned. Customers are called upon to join these actions to show their support and will be asked to sign a petition.