German mail liberalisation next year could cause Deutsche Post to axe more than 30,000 jobs, almostone-fifth of its workforce in the country, if its market share is hit, chair and CEO of the group
Klaus Zumwinkel has said in an interview.“If we drastically lose market share – for example 20%, – there are easily more than 30,000jobs in danger,” he is quoted as saying in an interview with the Netzeitung internet newspaper.
The German government plans to open the postal market to full competition at the end of thisyear – at least one year earlier than in the rest of the EU – by scrapping Deutsche Post’s monopolyover standard mail weighing under 50g, the so-called “reserved area”.
But in the interview, published in part today and partly yesterday, Zumwinkel said thatGerman liberalisation should be stopped unless there is a clear commitment from other countries tofollow.
“Germany should not go first without it being clear from the off that the others willfollow. Some countries are hoping that we open our market, giving the competition anopportunity, while at the same time they keep their old ways.
“It should not happen that we liberalise and the others wait for three years to firstestablish a commission and then bring out a white paper… The German government must stand upagainst that.”
The European Commission wants EU-wide liberalisation on 1 January 2009, but France lead alarge group of countries sceptical of the move, saying it would mean the end of the nationaluniversal service, delivery to any address no matter how remote.
Germany, which holds the presidency of the EU until the end of June, announced on Friday acompromise agreement between EU leaders to further liberalisation, while at the same time ensuringthe financing of the universal service. The European Parliament is still to debate the proposals,however.
Leading German social democrats oppose postal liberalisation, arguing the conditions do notexist for a complete and fair opening. They want to see new laws fixing minimum wages in theindustry before deregulation.
