Strike pickets were set up this Friday in front of the Aldi power plants in Vaux-sur-Sûre (near Bastogne) and Gembloux in Belgium. The Belgian union of La Centrale nationale des Employés (CNE) has informed that certain stores will not open their doors this Friday.
This movement of discontent follows negotiations which have not progressed for more than two years, complains the union. The Belgian management of the brand explained to the press agency Belgian that this action was carried out by “a limited number of collaborators”.
Are stores also closed in Luxembourg?
The Aldi plant in Vaux-sur-Sûre, in the province of Luxembourg, is therefore blocked. This supplies stores in Luxembourg. Should we therefore fear empty shelves or closed stores in the coming days as the holidays approach?
When contacted, the communications department of Aldi Belgium wanted to be reassuring: this protest movement will not have repercussions in the Grand Duchy. “For Luxembourg, there is no impact. All our stores in the Grand Duchy are open and there is everything you need on the shelves for end-of-year shopping,” we explain.
Other actions could take place
On the other side of the border, Belgian unions complain of not being heard. A series of demands were tabled in May by the unions united as a common front: right to four days a week, granting of additional contractual hours to involuntary part-time workers, adapted workload, sufficient replacement teams, promotion of administrative staff … “A next national meeting has been set for January 15, despite our proposal to add one more quickly, which could have unblocked the situation rather than generating a conflict,” explained the CNE to the press agency Belgian.
The union, however, warns: “If management does not want to hear anything and refuses to make significant progress for Christmas, other steps may follow after January 15.”
