A strike action started at IBM on Wednesday morning after the failure of negotiations between trade unions and management in the context of a major restructuring plan.
As a result, 196 jobs are at risk in Belgium. Some 50 employees, the maximum number according to the corona measures, have taken up positions in front of the IBM building in Brussels.
Personnel who usually work from home are on strike through an out-of-office. How many employees work remotely in this way is not yet clear, says trade unionist Tim De Cang (BBTK). The unions had submitted a strike notice on Monday. ‘We have not heard from the management since then. No meeting is currently planned, ‘says trade unionist Alexandre Liefooghe (ACLVB).
The American IT company announced a significant restructuring plan at the beginning of November, putting 196 jobs in Belgium at risk. Negotiations between trade unions and Belgian management in the Renault procedure have so far not yielded any results.
The unions ask for a redundancy plan that contains good terms of departure for the employees that the management wants to dismiss and guarantees for the employees who will continue to work at IBM or Kyndryl.