1,200 Carrefour staff set to lose jobs
Staff at the French chain’s hypermarkets in Belgium have walked out on strike in reaction to the company’s restructuring plans, which will lead to job losses and branch closures
Days of uncertainty
The staff of 11 of Belgium’s 45 hypermarkets walked out yesterday in reaction to the news, and several stores remain closed today, including the hypermarket in Genk (pictured).
“The staff at Carrefour in Genk were hugely shocked yesterday,” said Carine Meuwis of the BBTK union. “They requested not to work yesterday and today. The union is not calling for a strike, but we support their action and want to send a message to the management.”
After days of uncertainty, the French group announced this week that it would be cutting 1,233 jobs as part of a transformation of the business. Of those, 180 will be at the headquarters in Evere, with the remaining positions at hypermarkets. The company plans to close two loss-making hypermarkets in Genk and near Liège. Branches in Turnhout, Westerlo, Bruges and Louvain-la-Neuve will be reduced in size, while Carrefour takes measures to make other sites more efficient.
Photo: Yorick Jansens/Belga
