PostNL depot in Belgium closed after labor inspectorate raid

A PostNL depot in the Belgian town of Wommelgem, near Antwerp, was closed on Monday after a raid by the labor inspectorate. Violations of part-time contracts and people working undeclared were found there. PostNL confirms this after reporting in Belgian media. Depots in Mechelen and Ardooie, near Ghent, were also raided. PostNL says it has fully cooperated with the checks.

In Wommelgem, “ten offenses related to part-time work were established”, and another “ten offenses related to undeclared work”, public prosecutor in Mechelen Gianni Reale told the Belgian newspaper. The time. In addition to closing the depot, four vans were also seized. In Mechelen, the inspectorate found ten improper part-time contracts. There was also someone who worked without a residence permit. Inspectors raided multiple locations at once because drivers were tipped off earlier and diverted to another depot, Reale says.

As long as the depot in Wommelgem is closed, the packages that are present at the location cannot be sent, PostNL says in a response. “We estimate the number of parcels at this depot at 5 percent of the total number of parcels that we deliver in Belgium today.” There may be a delay. The delivery company is looking “how we can solve this situation as quickly as possible.” PostNL has a total of nine depots in Belgium.

During a raid on the PostNL depot in Mechelen last May, the inspectorate also found that 11 of the 23 couriers that were checked were undeclared. They often earn below minimum wage. Earlier in the year, Reale’s company had already received a summons after abuses were found. “If this continues, I’ll consider sealing the depots,” he told me NRC.



Also read: Abuse at PostNL is no longer a surprise to the Belgian public prosecutor

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source https://pledgetimes.com/postnl-depot-in-belgium-closed-after-labor-inspectorate-raid/