PostNL expects a sharp reduction in the number of mail deliverers in the coming period. According to the FNV union, this will mean a loss of between 2,000 and 3,000 jobs. Union official Pieter Beuzenberg confirmed the figures after a report in the FD newspaper. From July, PostNL will be allowed more time to deliver mail, which means fewer deliverers will be needed.
The company believes the decline can be managed by not replacing staff who leave and by hiring fewer temporary workers. Turnover among the almost 14,000 mail deliverers is high. A spokesperson said that more than one in three workers changes jobs each year. “Therefore, we expect that we will still desperately need the people who want to stay with us,” the spokesperson said.
PostNL has seen mail volumes fall for years, leading to a steady reduction in the workforce. The company says this ongoing shrinkage can be absorbed through natural attrition.
PostNL is also cutting the number of mail collection points. This may increase travel time for workers, which worries Beuzenberg. Many people choose this work because they need to combine it with other jobs or caring responsibilities, he said. “These are people who work part-time for us for a reason. It fills a gap, perhaps because they are physically unable to cope, because they provide informal care, or because they have another job.”
The FNV is also unhappy with the social plan offered by PostNL in case of compulsory redundancies. The union says the proposed transition payment is too low and that there is no training budget to support workers in finding new employment.
@anp | NEWS BRAINPORT
