TNT is opposing a collective pay deal between its main Dutch postal competitors and unions asoffering ‘insufficient’ working conditions, and wants an industry-wide deal instead. But the rivals
claim their deal now opens the way for full domestic mail liberalisation.The two leading competitors on the Dutch market, Sandd and SelektMail (a DHL Global Mailsubsidiary), announced yesterday that they had sealed a joint agreement with the main postal unionscovering postal delivery workers that met political conditions and thus opened the way to fullliberalisation of the Dutch domestic mail market. The new collective agreement, which follows anagreement in principle achieved in April 2008, would enter force as soon as the market was fullyliberalised, they said.
Dutch economic affairs state secretary Frank Heemskerk decided earlier this year to delayfull liberalisation of the country’s domestic mail sector over concerns about pay and workingconditions at private Dutch postal operators as well as due to a lack of a level playing-field forTNT in the German and British postal markets.
Marcel Bassant, CEO of DHL Global Mail Benelux, commented: “The newcomers in the Dutch postalmarket have thus taken a significant step towards the politicians.” Gert-Jan Morsink, CEO of Sandd,called on Dutch politicians to respond by agreeing on when to open up the domestic mail sector tofull competition.
But TNT Post and its subsidiary Netwerk VSP issued a statement saying that they do notsupport the labour agreement, which they were not involved in, since it offers an “insufficientbasis for solid terms and conditions of employment”. The deal is “still too soft and in no waydifferent from the agreement reached in April this year that was rejected by the Dutch government”,TNT said.
Harry Koorstra, head of TNT Post, said: “Agreeing fair conditions of employment for theentire postal sector – that must be the objective. There has to be a proper minimum level ofbenefits.” He called for an industry-wide collective agreement for the postal sector.
Bernard de Vries, Works Council chairman for the Operations business unit of TNT Post,commented: “The conditions of employment for our postmen and women are already under enormouspressure because the competition does not have to comply with the terms of the collectiveagreement. We want to make sure that our delivery staff receive a salary they can live on.Employees working for the competition don’t even get paid minimum wage, even if they want to. Withthis agreement the situation will not change.”
In April, TNT and the Dutch trade unions ABVAKABO FNV, CNV Publieke Zaak, BVPP and VPPdecided on a salary rise in the form of a structural increase of 3% with retroactive effect to 1April 2008, plus 0.5% in the form of a monthly payment until 1 April 2009.
