Clarebout Potatoes staff on six-day strike to get ‘added value bonus’ after sale

The acquisition of Europe’s biggest frozen fries producer Clarebout Potatoes by American food giant Simplot has had an unexpected consequence. The staff believe they are entitled to a bonus following the billion-dollar deal and have therefore gone on strike.

Large sum of money

In July, Belgian company Clarebout announced it was being taken over by Simplot, in a deal that would net founder Jan Clarebout an unknown – but substantial – sum of money. The employees now want a kind of added value bonus from this windfall: without their efforts, there would be no mega deal, they argue.

Last Thursday, employees at the Belgian branches in Comines-Warneton, Heuvelland and Mouscron and the French plant at Dunkirk downed their tools: they want a substantial bonus (some are talking about 10,000 euros per person). However, the company itself does not want to go beyond 500 euros per person for the time being, local newspaper De Standaard reports. For Clarebout, the whole action is very inconvenient, also because the sales agreement is not yet completely finalised.