Since January 2015, the Belgian postal distribution division has been in discussions with unions over annualized working hours as a way of improving workload management. Weekly hours would remain at 38 but would however be calculated on an annual basis. In addition to this Saturdays and Sundays may enter the calculations for 5-day week hours. A pilot Sunday delivery service is currently being tested in Flanders by outside collaborators. Negotiations are closed and the unions are on their guard in what can only be described as a tense social climate.
Since the start of the year, management and unions have been in the process of discussing ways to function more efficiently in the wake of automated sorting systems. Bpost’s mail division, tasked with sorting and delivering letters and packages employs almost 15,000 out of a total workforce of 27,000. Three subjects are under scrutiny: annualized hours, day-to-day working organization, and weekend work.
Management has put forward the idea of annualized hours. “It is a question of adapting to...
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