Backlog in postal deliveries 'clearing up quickly' after Bpost strike ends

A strike at Bpost ended on Wednesday evening and the backlog of mail and parcels that accumulated while distribution centres were blocked is expected to be cleared quickly, according to the postal company.

Unions lifted the blockades "to give priority to dialogue", they said, and reached a tentative compromise with management later that evening.

“It's a relief for everyone,” said union spokesperson Jean Dupont. “Our main demands have been heard, even if compromises had to be made on both sides.”

Still, unions stopped short of calling the conflict between workers and management fully resolved, saying they are "not entirely convinced by the company's proposals" and will remain vigilant regarding their implementation.

After losing a major government contract - to deliver newspapers - to foreign competitors, Bpost announced its intent to become more profitable through reorganisation, which workers feel will increase their already high and increasingly physical workload.

Those reorganisation plans are still on the table, with management saying they are needed “to secure the future of our 26,000 employees in Belgium in the rapidly changing market”.

Management and unions will continue to discuss the exact details of the reorganisation in the coming weeks.

In the meantime, the backlog that built up during the strike has nearly been cleared and 97.3% of delivery staff in Brussels are working, with just seven workers (in Schaerbeek) still on strike, according to Bpost.

“Our top priority now is to regain the trust of our customers and clear the backlog in parcel and mail delivery as quickly as possible,” spokesperson Mathieu Goedefroy said.

“In the sorting centre, there are no more blockades and the backlog is almost completely cleared.”

This positive outlook contrasts with remarks from CSC union’s Stéphane Daussaint: “The downside of a postal strike is that there is a huge backlog of work to deal with. The workload is going to be enormous for several days.”

Unions have not ruled out the possibility of future actions, with delegate Pierre Leroy adding: “We’ll be keeping a close eye on the practical implementation of this agreement. Targeted action may be taken if necessary, but we prefer dialogue.”