‘Direct attack’ on workers’ rights: Unions protest Labour Day Hema opening

Trade unions have organised a protest against the opening of a Hema store in central Brussels on Labour Day, saying that the gradual extension of working hours to Sundays and public holidays in the retail sector in general is a "direct threat" to workers’ rights.

About 30 trade union representatives joined the protest on Place de la Monnaie on 1 May, blocking the entrance to the Dutch chain retailer known for selling cheap and generic household goods.

According to the union delegation, public holidays cannot be equated with Sundays, not even in tourist areas.

Delegates said that they had repeatedly drawn attention to this legal framework over the past few months, without this leading to a change of stance on behalf of management.

They also criticised various measures announced by Hema, including the abolition of the Sunday work allowance in tourist areas for new employees, the mandatory inclusion of Sunday work without a voluntary basis in new contracts, and the intention to keep the shops open all day on public holidays.

The trade unions are calling on Hema’s management to comply with social legislation, and warn about setting a precedent in the sector for poor working conditions.

They fear a widespread shift towards working on public holidays and opening seven days a week, to the detriment of the work-life balance.

Some retailers in Namur, where a trial period of allowing shops to open on Sundays on a voluntary basis for staff has begun, echoed concerns about a cultural shift towards expecting stores to be open on weekends and holidays.

“We want to be part of a vision of society where there are times when we are not consumers,” said Natacha Mangez, co-manager of the Papyrus bookshop in Namur since 2012.

“We need a society where there are breaks, moments when we devote ourselves to other things, when we don’t buy anything.”

Pauline Dusaiwoir, manager of the Les Secrets du Chef shop, told RTBF that there were also pragmatic considerations to be made.

“You have to bear in mind that on the weekend, an employee is paid double,” Dusaiwoir said.

“For us, as a business, without state aid, we simply cannot afford it. We already have a lot of costs to take into account.”

The shopkeeper said she preferred to monitor how the scheme develops before making a final decision on whether to open her shop on the first Sunday of the month, as others in Namur are testing.

The Belgian Federation of Trade and Services has been asking for permission for Sunday openings for a long time, saying it would reduce domestic and cross-border competition by offering shops greater freedom.

But the introduction of Sunday hours has already sparked more than just the Hema protest. In Brussels and its suburbs, workers at 80% of Aldi stores were on strike last Saturday to protest against future negotiations regarding Sunday trading.

“It was this demand that was the last straw,” said a union representative.

“It means that workers will no longer be able to benefit from a fixed day off.”

The federal government’s 24 April approval of permitting Sunday hours will officially come into force after a vote which it expects will take place before summer.