On Monday this week, the picket lines at Brink's facilities were dismantled, ending a strike that has lasted since 27October.Unionsandmanagement agreed last week that the personnel will retain their status as employees. The strike had centred on the company's decision to downgrade the drivers of its cash transports from the status of "employees" to the status of "workers", which would have offered less protection in the event of lay-offs, among other things.

The Brink's facility at Zaventem will stay open for now, while the US-based company looks for a buyer for its loss-making Belgian division. If Brink's does find a buyer - the Belgian Cobelguard and the Swiss Loomis have already been mentioned - they will probably want to renegotiate the status of the staff, since "worker" status has become the industry standard. Rival security company G4S, which has a 70% share of the Belgian market, applies "worker" status to all staff.

For Brink's, the rejection of the bankruptcy filing by the court means that if they want to close down - the company claims its Belgian division is €14 million in the red, although the figure has been disputed by unions - theywillnotonlyhavetogothrough the proper procedures contained in the Renault law, but will also have to foot the bill themselves to lay off the 420 workers. If the bankruptcy had been accepted, the government would have stepped in.

Following the harsh words of the Brussels prosecutor, who argued last week against allowing Brink's to declare bankruptcy, an investigation is now under way to determine if the bankruptcy claim was in fact fraudulent.

Last week, workers gathered in protest in Brussels while the court was hearing the bankruptcy application. Union leaders met with federal interior minister Annemie Turtelboom, who said she would review her decision to grant a licence to carry out cash transports to Brink's subsidiary, Diamond & Jewelry Services. Unions had criticised the licence as a means for Brink's to close down its main activities, while starting up again via the subsidiary, which employs about 30 people.

Meanwhile, the situation in the country's cash machines was expected to take some time to get back to normal. ATMs served by Brink's that cannot be replenished by bank personnel have run out of funds. Large retail outlets are sitting on vast surpluses of cash, which would normally be picked up by Brink's. Staff went back to work on Monday, but the first cash transport was not expected to take place until the middle of the week.