DHL Express is planning to reduce working hours at its European air hub at Leipzig in response tolower volumes but is not cutting back on jobs or flights.
The company is currently in talks with about 1,000 staff who are involved in aircrafthandling and parcel sorting over voluntary reductions in working hours. About 2,200 people work atthe €300 million hub, which opened in May 2008.
German media cited DHL spokesman Manfred Hauschild as saying that it was not yet clear howmany staff would work fewer hours or for what period of time. But he stressed: “No jobs are at riskat the hub.”
DHL had no plans over the coming months to change the number of 50 aircraft being handled atthe hub every night, he added. “We will await the development of the economic crisis and monitorhow the freight volume looks in 3-5 months.”
The Leipziger Volkszeitung had earlier cited Deutsche Post personnel chief Walter Scheurle assaying that the group needed “more flexibility in working times” and was thus planning “voluntaryand attractive offers”.
DHL Express relocated its European air hub from Brussels to Leipzig last spring. The hub, ona total area of two million square metres, comprises a 48,000 sqm distribution centre with capacityto handle up to 60,000 parcels and 36,000 documents per hour.
At the opening, DHL Express said it would be transporting 1,500 tonnes a day through the hubon some 60 aircraft operating to 46 destinations in Europe and overseas. By 2012, it expects toincrease volumes to 2,000 tonnes a night, and employ 3,500 handling and other staff.
