Strike at French fries producer Clarebout may last long

The strike at fries producer Clarebout may last for a while longer. The company states that it is waiting for a new invitation from the unions. The unions are waiting for a new proposal from owner Jan Clarebout. Since last Thursday, the staff at Clarebout's four factories in Belgium and France have been on strike. The staff demands additional recognition now that Jan Clarebout has sold his company for several billion euros to the American food company Simplot. According to a spokesperson for the company, it is not customary for staff to benefit from the sale of a company. However, because the staff has insisted on it, Clarebout is willing to offer each employee a net bonus of €500 after an initial round of discussions. This is in appreciation of their contribution to the development of the company. Amount exceeding €3 million In total, about 3,000 people work at the Belgian fries producer. A payout of €500 per employee means, according to the company, a cost of more than €3 million including taxes and other charges. The company notes that not all formalities have been finalized and thus the sale is not yet completed. A spokesperson for Clarebout does not want to respond specifically about potential damage to the company due to the strike. The strike varies by the hour. At one moment 50% of production is halted, an hour later that is still 30%. On the other hand, Clarebout is trying to continue supplying customers. According to the spokesperson, there is still sufficient stock available. Still some deliveries Lars Decock of the ACV union acknowledges that potato products are still being delivered. According to him, Clarebout has hired external drivers to deliver products. However, production at the factories in Nieuwkerke, Waasten, and Moeskroen is completely stalled according to him. This also applies to the French factory in Dunkirk. According to Decock, the employees have rejected the offer of €500 per employee. They want better recognition for the fact that they helped build the company. And that includes during the corona period, Decock emphasizes. The activists are waiting for a new offer from owner Jan Clarebout. The fries manufacturer, on its part, is waiting for a new invitation from the unions. Both parties want to sit down at the table; however, one party is waiting for a better offer, while the other expects an invitation. “Up until fifteen minutes ago, there had been no new invitation,” says a spokesperson for Clarebout. “We have not received any new information from Clarebout,” says Decock. What is going on Director Christophe Vermeulen of the Belgian branch organization for potato trade and processing believes it is not the role of his organization to comment on the strike demands, but he does so anyway in his weekly video blog What is going on in the potato world. “In my opinion, there is not really a general principle that employees participate in the proceeds from the sale of a company, just as there is no principle that they participate in a possible failure of a company. I hope that a solution can be found at the table with some calmness, humanity, and mutual understanding.”