French-speaking unions Bpost strongly oppose and do not want AMP to distribute the newspapers

New consultations between unions and Bpost management have not resolved anything. The French-speaking unions are obstructive, but they do seem to be creating a small opening. Their demand remains that only postal workers should distribute newspapers.

The consultation between unions and Bpost management will enter its third day on Thursday. Attempts to end the rotation strike in Wallonia have so far failed. The major stumbling block remains the newspaper contract. The French-speaking unions reject Bpost’s plans to gradually have newspaper distribution done by its subsidiary AMP and no longer by the postman.

The Dutch-speaking unions could live with that scenario. The French-speaking unions say that they are willing to discuss efficiency gains at Bpost on the condition that Bpost shelves the AMP plan. However, Bpost wants to be able to offer more competitive prices to publishers via AMP. This is done by having its subsidiary AMP deliver the newspapers via subcontractors. The French-speaking unions demand that this work remains with the postal workers. They would like to talk about efficiency gains.

Discussions will continue on Thursday about how to proceed with the newspaper contract. It is clear that publishers expect Bpost to charge acceptable distribution rates. And Bpost could only do this through subcontracting technology.

Bpost wants to shift newspaper distribution to AMP in phases. The transfer would last until the end of 2026. The Dutch-speaking unions previously said that they could live with this scenario. On the condition that there would be no hard restructuring at Bpost itself. Because the French-speaking unions are now putting forward a different scenario, the question is how to proceed. Geert Cools, from the socialist trade union, says that he does not want a scenario in which different organizational models are marketed in the north of the country and the south.

Bpost will consult with the unions again on Thursday. Even if the AMP model were to succeed, publishers would still face higher distribution costs. In absolute figures, Flemish publishers are hit hardest. The newspaper market is larger than in the south of the country and the alternative subsidy per newspaper to be mailed is also lower.