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Unions and employers call for more jobs

But “gulf has never been wider” says one union activist
Opel workers out in strength during demonstrations on 29 January in Brussels

Between 26,000 and 35,000 demonstrators took to the streets of Brussels last week to send “an urgent signal” of the demand by trade unions for more jobs and more respect for their members.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the barricades, a group of organisations representing employers issued a manifesto and a petition demanding they be allowed to run their businesses as free entrepreneurs.

Both sides claim to have the same goal in mind: the recovery of the economy and the stimulation of employment. But the positions are father apart than that claim would suggest.

Alan Hope
(February 3, 2010)

InBev unions drink to victory

Management cancels plan to cut more than 260 jobs
Other brands rushed in to fill the gap cause by the InBev dispute

The industrial action at AB InBev breweries in Leuven, Jupille and Hoegaarden is over. Last week, management withdrew plans to cut 263 jobs, as 16 days of union blockades saw supplies of InBev brands – mainly Jupiler, Stella Artois and Leffe – reach the brink of running out.

The plan actually involved cutting a total of 299 jobs, not all of which could be covered by early retirement or other unforced redundancies. But about 40 jobs would have been created in a new customer service division. Just two days before the end of the dispute, the differences seemed unbridgeable. A second attempt to bring management and unions together flopped on Wednesday, 20 January, with local negotiators unable to make a move without being overruled by senior management in Brazil.

Alan Hope
(January 27, 2010)

InBev action threatens beer supplies

Stock up on your Stella now
The company cut off supplies to the pickets, and the pickets cut off supplies

Industrial action by workers at the AB InBev brewery headquarters in Leuven, as well as breweries in Jupille and Hoegaarden, was expected to make itself sorely felt across the country this week, as stocks of two of the nation’s most popular brews, Jupiler and Stella Artois, ran down in delivery depots and supermarkets.

The workers are protesting at plans by the company to cut 263 jobs. They have been blockading the Leuven plant since 7 January. Such a lengthy stoppage is unusual in recent Belgian industrial history, and lay-offs equal to or greater than those announced by InBev have not led to the same result when announced elsewhere. But InBev is profitable: the latest results showed profits of €3 billion on sales of €27bn. Against that background, unions said, the cutting of so many jobs is “decadent”.

Alan Hope
(January 20, 2010)

InBev plans job cuts

With beer-drinking habits changing, the Leuven based company takes action
Workers protest against proposed job losses outside InBev in Leuven

The Belgian connection with the world’s number one beer brewer, AB InBev, weakens again after the group announced last week that it would be cutting jobs at the Leuven headquarters.

The decision confirms rumours that have been circulating since November, when plans were announced for restructuring in Central Europe. Despite attempts by the company to quell speculation, rumours were rife that a round of cuts in Western Europe would follow.

Alan Hope
(January 13, 2010)

New laws for 2010

Smoking ban gets off to shaky start

The most publicised new law to enter into force in 2010 is the extension of the smoking ban in cafés and restaurants, which now includes all premises where food is served. Previously the ban only affected restaurants in which at least 30% of the income came from food. Under the new legislation, all food is covered apart from nuts, crisps and dried sausages served in bars. However, many bar owners have already decided to take food off the menu rather than lose their smoking customers.

Other owners plan to serve lunch smoke free while allowing smoking in the afternoon and evening – although this may bring them to the attention of the 100 health inspectors who have been sent out across the country to check on implementation of the new law. In the first three months, federal health ministry inspectors will only issue warnings, but after that fines will be applicable.

Alan Hope
(January 6, 2010)

Suicide leaves questions unanswered

CEO of Lano Carpets lost €9.3 million last year
© Belga

More than 2,000 people, among them leading politicians, attended the funeral of Pierre Lano, chief executive of Lano Carpets in Harelbeke, West Flanders, last weekend. Lano committed suicide last week at the age of 65.

A prominent and well-liked local businessman, Lano (pictured) was politically active as a member of his local municipal council. He was formerly mayor of Harelbeke but had to resign after switching allegiance from the CVP (now CD&V) to VLD. He was later elected to the federal parliament.

Alan Hope
(December 16, 2009)

Carbon dioxide emissions fail Kyoto norms

Although other emissions are down, CO2 is up by 7%
Industry and power are the main sources of greenhouse gases

Flanders produced more carbon dioxide last year than the Kyoto protocol allows, despite claims from the environment minister Joke Schauvliege that the norms had been met, the independent Flemish Environment Agency (VMM) has revealed. As world leaders meet in Copenhagen for the climate change summit this week, the detailed breakdown by the VMM shows there is more work to be done in Flanders than previously thought.

The Kyoto protocol set a target for Flanders of a 5.2% decrease in the emission of greenhouse gases over the period 2008-2012, compared to the reference year 1990. In fact, the total reduction in greenhouse gases between 1990 and 2008 was more than 10% – leading to Schauvliege’s triumphant announcement earlier this year when the figures became known.

Alan Hope
(December 9, 2009)

Sharp rise in job losses

As DHL cuts jobs and Opel Antwerp struggles to survive, Peeters warns of worse to come
Exit strategy: DHL quits Diegem in surprise move

Courier company DHL last week decided to pull its European headquarters out of Diegem, near Zaventem, with the loss of nearly 900 jobs. DHL, which is partly owned by Deutsche Post, had already moved a large part of its operation to Leipzig with the loss of more than 1,000 jobs, after political and legal pressure on noise nuisance caused by night flights. The world coordination centre moved from Diegem to Bonn in 2004.

DHL will maintain a local office in the Brussels area, but 523 people will be let go from the current head office in Diegem. A further 231 jobs will be lost at the sorting centre DHL Aviation, and 34 more at European Air Transport (EAT), which covers Europe and part of the Middle East and North Africa. Unions at DHL Aviation are already in discussions over 94 redundancies previously announced.

Alan Hope
(December 2, 2009)

Antwerp port authority freezes tariffs

The Port of Antwerp is to freeze its tariffs for 2010 in an effort to counter the effects of the financial crisis on its customers in the shipping industry, it was announced last week. In addition, for some labour-intensive cargoes, prices will actually fall by up to 10%.

The port authority reviews its tariffs annually, which typically involves an increase of 2% to 2.5%. Last year, as the crisis began to make itself felt, the port decided to raise tariffs by only 1.75% for 2009. Tariffs will now return to their 2008 level.

Alan Hope
(November 25, 2009)

Quotas for women in the boardroom

CD&V senator introduces proposal that she says will make businesses more profitable

Belgian businesses need to make way for more women in top positions, according to Christian-Democrat (CD&V) senator Sabine de Bethune (pictured), who last week proposed the introduction of a quota system. Of the 258 directors currently in Bel20 quoted companies, only 23 are women, or 9%.

According to the senator, who sits in the equal opportunities commission, the effects of the glass ceiling in the financial-economic sector and in the judiciary have led to crisis. A policy to increase the number of women in senior positions, she argues, could help resolve the problem.

Alan Hope
(November 18, 2009)