Lidl supermarket workers in France to strike on Thursdays - Sundays

Employees at the Lidl supermarket chain are set to begin an unlimited strike that could see them walk out up to four days per week, severely disrupting shopping services at stores. 

Four major unions have come together to back the strike, asking workers to walk out every Thursday - Sunday for the duration of the action, which as of now has no end date. 

The first day of the strike action is this Thursday (May 15).

The strike has been called over working conditions, with the unions stating there has been an ‘exceptional rise in the demands’ on workers. 

These demands – which include obligatory shifts on Sundays and public holidays – affect the mental and physical health of workers, the unions say. 

Unions also criticise the lack of staff and a drop in recruitment at the low-cost chain, which has 46,000 employees and over 1,500 stores in France.

Supermarkets run by Lidl may be understaffed on strike days, leading to increased shopping times and potentially forced closures, depending on how many workers join the strike. 

The four unions – CFDT, CGT, CFTC et FO – make up a large portion of workers at the stores, however the largest representative, Unsa, has not called on members to join.

The German supermarket chain is reportedly struggling in France after a rapid expansion. 

It has continually hovered at around 8% market share, lower than major competitors in the sector such as E.Leclerc and Carrefour, that have over 20% each. 

In February, unions backed a strike at the chain over the working conditions, and also criticised practices at the supermarket. The strike lasted four days before it was called off.

The new ‘unlimited’ strike declaration means that as of this moment, there is no official end to the action. Employees can walk out on any of the strike days if they wish. 

Read more: Supermarket rules that can surprise newcomers to France