Discussions on Sunday opening postponed at Aldi Belgium

Following a meeting with management last Wednesday, the unions do not intend to resume further talks on Sunday openings at Aldi until March: first, the retailer must honor previously made agreements regarding workload.

“Breach of trust”

The unions are unwilling to discuss Sunday openings at Aldi as long as issues persist on weekdays as well, according to their statements to the Belga news agency. They are calling for measures to address workloads, staff shortages, and the replacement of sick colleagues. Agreements had already been made on these issues, but they have not yet been fulfilled, they argue. ACV Puls refers to a “breach of trust.”

This delay comes at a very inopportune time for Aldi, which announced earlier this month that it intends to move quickly on Sunday openings. The discount retailer would like to open all stores on Sundays from 8:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. This poses a problem for the unions, as labor laws only permit Sunday work until noon.

In its argument, management cites a loss of market share, since most competitors—with the exception of Lidl and Colruyt —are now open seven days a week. But according to ACV Puls, Sunday opening is not the only cause of that loss of market share: when customers face stock shortages in stores during the week due to staff shortages, they may turn to other supermarkets.