Delhaize CEO fails to turn up for meeting as unions submit demands

Denis Knoops, CEO of supermarket chain Delhaize, failed to turn up for a meeting of the works council yesterday. The meeting was scheduled to discuss the company’s restructuring plan, in the wake of last week’s announcement that 14 stores would close and 2,500 workers made redundant.

Earlier, however, unions had planned to boycott the meeting. Representatives did ultimately enter the Delhaize headquarters in Brussels but only to deliver a list of questions. The main question was: Is it possible to postpone discussions of the closure plans until after the summer holidays, when many employees are absent?

The company made no comment regarding the absence of Knoops (pictured), who angered unions last week when he described employees who did not take part in spot protests as “the real Delhaizeans”. Knoops, VTM News revealed, later sent an email to the lead union representative apologising for “comments which may have come across as inappropriate”.

Protesters described Knoops’ absence as “scandalous”. As well as delivering their questions, unions also called for a timetable of negotiations. Belgium’s “Renault law” obliges companies to go through a number of steps to negotiate with unions and government on the matter of redundancies and closures.

“The staff are uneasy and have a great many questions,” a union spokesperson said. “Our representatives spent an hour on Wednesday afternoon explaining to them the Renault procedure and the importance of taking whatever time is necessary. That’s a tough message, and some people are having a hard time with the uncertainty, especially when both partners are employed by Delhaize. But the workers are more determined than ever not to be trifled with, even though they know they have a long and difficult road ahead.”