De Bijenkorf in Utrecht is open as usual despite employee strike

De Bijenkorf in Utrecht opened as normal on Saturday despite a strike by employees, reported a spokesperson for the retail chain.

Seven employees are currently on strike, according to the spokesperson of De Bijenkorf. The labor union FNV however, contradicted this number and talked about 30 employees.

The union previously expected that the store might not open at all as a result of the strike, which was not announced.

Now that the store has opened, the striking staff wants to urge people not to go shopping at De Bijenkorf. People who want to enter the store are approached by the striking employees and asked to show solidarity with the staff.

The employees of De Bijenkorf in Utrecht normally start "preparing" the store at 7:30 a.m. so that it can open at 10 a.m. Saturday morning. Because this would not have happened on Saturday morning, FNV director Linda Vermeulen thought there was a good chance that the store would not open at all.

It is the ninth day of strikes by Bijenkorf staff, demanding higher wages.

This week, the labor union FNV also threatened a strike by Bijenkorf employees on December 23 and 24, just before Christmas.