European Coca-Cola workers protest

Centralization policy

Coca-Cola wants to centralize its European activities, which means several factories will be closed. Four Spanish factories have already closed earlier this year and by the end of the year, it will be decided whether the factories in Antwerp and Ghent can stay open. “They both produce the same item and its production is not solely for Belgium”, Marc Delvenne, regional ACV secretary for food and service, told De Morgen.

The Belgian Coca-Cola future is unclear and that is why some 150 Belgian workers protested at the Belgian main office in Anderlecht, just like workers have protested in Spain, Portugal, France, Germany, Greece and Italy. The European protest has been orchestrated by EFFAT, the labour unions’ umbrella federation which also entails the food industry.

Jeroen Langerock, Coca-Cola Company Belgium’s communication director, has refused to talk about the company’s Belgian future. “It is clear that our partners will decide to do sustainable business, especially in a competitive environment, which means that proactive and constructive changes may be required.”