Picnic must let it know within a week whether it will apply the supermarket collective labour agreement for employees. If the app only supermarket does not do so, FNV will start a lawsuit.
Together with 12 order pickers from the distribution centres in Nijkerk, Utrecht, Rotterdam and Eindhoven, FNV symbolically handed over a cheque for 9.9 million euros to Picnic's management this weekend. This represents the amount the online mass retailer allegedly pocketed last year by circumventing the supermarket collective labour agreement.
"After solid actions by FNV and employees around insecurity at the five distribution centres, Picnic has started a safety programme. That's a win. But the company does not yield as soon as it comes to fixed contracts and fixed hours for people. And a collective labour agreement, the management doesn't address that at all. So it's time for pressure," says Marianne Jekkers, FNV manager.
According to the union, the supermarket collective agreement, which has been declared generally binding (AVV), also applies to online supermarkets. Picnic, however, refuses to apply this collective agreement. "Picnic knows it is a supermarket and carries this out. But this company refuses to pay the wages its employees are entitled to. Picnic puts the bill for 'free' delivery on the employees. Moreover, this malpractice creates unfair competition with other supermarkets."
