Social unrest is growing at IKEA in Belgium

Following last week’s strike at the IKEA store in Hognoul, union action is spreading to stores in Wilrijk and Zaventem. Employees complain about high work pressure and staff shortages.

Stores remain open

At IKEA Wilrijk, about half of the employees walked off the job on Monday morning. The action is directed against high work pressure and persistent staff shortages: since January, there has been a structural shortage of employees and requests for leave are increasingly being refused. “We are now working with almost 50 fewer people than last year, but we are still achieving the same figures,” Peter Engelen of ACV Puls told VRT nws. “We therefore expect the management to hire additional staff. Currently, existing contracts are regularly not being renewed and resignations are not being replaced.”

A week ago, a strike broke out at IKEA Hognoul (near Liège) for the same reasons. That action is still ongoing, with about 70% of employees participating. In Zaventem, action is expected to follow on Tuesday. The stores remain open, but customers are experiencing inconvenience: only a few people are working in the restaurant in Wilrijk, the cash registers are being operated by managers, and the food shop is closed.