The immediate reason for the spontaneous strike is a misunderstanding. The FNG staff received individual annual accounts from the social secretariat, which does the wage calculation, until the end of July, while that document is normally only sent out after a full year. “But such a document is also drawn up when bankruptcy is imminent,” says Sven De Scheemaeker of the Christian union ACV Puls. “The staff interpret this as the prelude to bankruptcy. Paul Lembrechts, the CEO of FNG, said it was a mistake and that the financial statements were not intended to end up in every employee’s mailbox.” The fact that FNG has asked the social secretariat to prepare annual accounts does indicate that the company is preparing for a possible bankruptcy.
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