Striking Albert Heijn employees intimidated and at risk of being fired, unions claim

Striking employees at Albert Heijn distribution centers are intimidated and threatened with dismissal if they do not return to work, FNV and CNV claimed. The unions reported that part-time workers employed by Albert Heijn are approached personally by managers. "In some cases, they are even visited at home," CNV executive Soraya Faez said.

In addition to being threatened with dismissal, according to the unions, temporary workers are told that they will only be allowed to do the most tedious tasks or will be given a worse work schedule if they do not return to work. Some agency workers are required to agree not to join a union when they sign their employment contracts. "This is totally unacceptable and both Albert Heijn and the temporary agencies must put an end to this immediately," Faez stated.

Albert Heijn, however, denies that striking employees of distribution centers are faced with intimidation and threaten to be fired if they do not go to work. "Everyone has the right to strike, whether you are a permanent employee or a temporary worker, that does not matter. That right is not limited," said a spokesperson for the supermarket group.

The FNV also called on the temp agencies to end "these unacceptable practices" and wants Albert Heijn to take action against the temp agencies. Since the first day of the strike last Sunday, the union has received repeated reports that temporary workers are being pressured.

"What the temp agencies we work with are accused of is not true. We don't do that, and the temp agencies don't do that either," the Albert Heijn spokesperson stressed.

The strike at Albert Heijn's distribution centers is affecting nearly half of the chain's supermarkets, particularly in the northeast and southwest of the country. The exact size of the impact differs per store, Albert Heijn said. Sometimes it is noticeable that the fruit and vegetable shelves, for example, are much emptier than usual. It also happens that people abandon longer-lasting products such as shampoo. Albert Heijn claimed on Friday that most stores are still well stocked.

"Despite Albert Heijn's claim that half of the supermarkets don't notice anything, you can see that stocks and willingness to act are growing. It's up to Albert Heijn to put an end to this," Faez said. According to FNV, the total number of strikers is expected to reach 1,000.

Workers at Albert Heijn distribution centers are on strike because they are demanding higher wages to compensate for high inflation. According to the unions, the supermarket is offering far too low wage increases. They are also angry that the retail chain is proposing a deterioration of Sunday bonuses for new employees, for instance.

It is unclear how long the strike will last. Previously, the unions had expressed their intention to continue the strike until Albert Heijn presents an improved wage offer. According to the retail chain, around 6,000 people work in Albert Heijn's six distribution centers, about half of whom are temporary workers.

FNV wants salaries to rise structurally in a year by more than 14 percent. But that, according to the company, is impossible. "We want to see if we can work it out together, we are prepared to take steps. Not only on the wage offer, but also on other aspects of the collective labor agreement. But then you both have to be prepared to do something," said the spokesperson for the supermarket group.