This week, my blog will give you some information about the temporarily close of the Belgian chocolate producer. The company is known for its high quality chocolates. These are distributed all over the world and are a great success.
Regardless their astonishing success, the company is coping with some difficulties in their production line. The management of Godiva has decided to close their division in Koekelberg. After numerous problems with their employees the management was fed up with these circumstances. According to the management, the employees were constantly ignoring their contractual obligations and did not respect the agreements made in the employment contract. Adjacent to that, the conditions are everything but safe when fire breaks loose.
The reason why the employees are not working as motivated as they used to is due to one of the management’s last decisions. They are working on an idea to contract out the packaging activity and the employees couldn’t accept that. It would mean that 90 employees would be fired while other people get their jobs in another circumstances that would be cheaper for the company.
I think the employees are justified to be disappointed in their employers but they are taking it too far. That is why I also agree with the company that they are temporarily closing the division in Koekelberg. It was not safe to work in the environment that the angry employees were creating. They were blocking entrances and exits which lead to unsafe conditions in case of fire.
On the other side, I find it quite selfish to contract out work that their company was doing just to reduce the costs. In these conditions of economic recession, Godiva will bring more unemployment just because Godiva wants to inhibit their costs.
http://www.standaard.be/artikel/detail.aspx?artikelid=DMF20100402_088&word=Godiva
I take the same view as Floor concerning the closure of Godiva’s establishment near Brussels.
BeantwoordenVerwijderenI comprehend that the employees refuse to adapt their habit of working because the big bosses want to enlarge their profit. On all counts, the alternations don’t matter for the workers. It doesn’t mean that because the company gets a higher profit, the employees will get higher wages. So why should they cooperate then?
But the employees of Godiva have played with fire. Next to the fact that they will protest against the taken measures, they may not endanger the safety guidelines of the company. Maybe dismissing all employees by closing the establishment is exaggerated.
The management and the trade union have found a solution, yesterday. The company will still contract out the packaging activity and there are still 90 employees who will loose their job. But employees from 52 years could retire. This will mean that 56 employees of the 90 can retire and leave the labor market.
BeantwoordenVerwijderenDon’t you think this is a little bit ridiculous? People of 52 years old can retire. What about the generation pact? There are predictions that the youth now should work until their 74th. And I often hear; life just starts on your 50th birthday. This people already end their career when they’re 52.