At the origin of this action, a social conflict on salary scales which has poisoned the sector for a long time already. “According to sectoral agreements, most service station workers should be covered by other salary scales, which would allow them to earn more,” explains Kevin Kiggen, secretary of ACV Puls. According to him, some 400 workers are affected.
Unions and management have been negotiating on this issue for about a year. A new consultation was scheduled for this week, but management canceled it two days before the scheduled date.
It is this “disrespectful” attitude of the management that triggered the spontaneous strike at the Waarloos station, where 20 to 25 employees usually work. The latter have closed access to the shop and the service counter. However, they allow refueling, as well as access to the toilets. The action is supported by the Christian unions ACV Puls and the liberal ACLVB, their French counterparts and the SETCa.
In the absence of an “adequate” reaction from management, the unions are threatening to extend their actions to other TotalEnergies service stations next week. They also plan to block refueling.
According to Kevin Kiggen, a total of 96 sites, including 12 located along highways, could be affected.