Industrial action at Belgium’s partially-privatised postal operator Bpost entered its fourth week on 20 April, and the knock-on effects are now rippling through mobility programmes. The company confirmed that parcel processing has been suspended in Wallonia and Brussels, while Flemish facilities are operating with delays. Tracking data for many shipments—including residence-permit cards, work-permit originals and Consular Mail Service envelopes—will remain frozen until normal operations resume. The strike centres on Bpost’s “Transformation 2027” plan, which shifts thousands of staff from traditional letter rounds to parcel-only routes and introduces more flexible scheduling. Unions argue that the proposal undermines job security and will erode working conditions, while management insists the re-tooling is vital to offset a double-digit decline in letter volumes since 2020. Mediation talks resumed on Monday but ended without a deal, prompting unions to extend pickets at the Neder-Over-Heembeek and Charleroi sorting hubs. For global-mobility teams the impact is immediate: municipal offices depend on Bpost’s secure network to send newly printed e-ID cards and Annex 46 documents to foreign workers. Several Brussels communes have already told applicants to expect two-to-three-week delays before they can collect their cards—a prerequisite for local registration, opening a bank account or signing a lease. Employers moving staff into Wallonia report that original work-permit decisions have not reached them, forcing start-date postponements. Logistics experts caution that rerouting sensitive documents via private couriers is not straightforward, as identity cards and visa stickers fall under Belgium’s “official correspondence” rules, which reserve final-mile delivery for Bpost. In the interim, companies are advising travellers to carry printed approval emails and appointment confirmations when passing Belgian border checks. While parcel volumes typically dip after Easter, analysts estimate the protracted strike could already be costing SMEs up to €5 million a day in missed deliveries. Unless a breakthrough is reached this week, the disruption risks spilling into the 1 May public holiday, traditionally one of the busiest relocation weekends of the year.
Source: The Star / Xinhua
