DHL Express plans to cut 788 more jobs in Brussels with the relocation of its European head officeto Bonn, IT activities to Prague and aviation activities to Leipzig. Unions have called on
politicians to stop the cost-cutting move.According to Belgian unions, a total of 523 jobs will go at Diegem, the site of the Europeanhead office, close to Brussels Airport, with the transfer of management and administrative jobs toBonn and of IT jobs to Prague, where the European IT centre is located.
In addition, a further 325 airport-based staff at Zaventem will lose their jobs, including 94already announced job cuts at DHL Aviation, while 34 employees at European Air Transport (EAT), theDHL Express subsidiary airline, will lose their jobs, the unions said yesterday. DHL Expresscurrently employs a total of 5,478 people in Belgium.
Earlier this year it was reported that 380 jobs would go with the transfer of the Europeanhead office to Bonn (200 jobs) and relocation of EAT to Leipzig (180 jobs) under cost reductionmeasures.
DHL Express confirmed in a statement cited by local media that it would relocate the Europeanhead office and the other positions “step by step” over the coming two years. Belgian-based staffwould be offered jobs in Bonn, Leipzig or Prague.
A spokesman said the objective of the reorganisation was to consolidate functions that werealready mostly carried out at the three named locations, and this was therefore “not arestructuring” move. DHL Express would still employ about 4,700 people in Belgium following thechanges and the local DHL Express Belgium activities would not be affected, he stressed.
Belgian unions held a press conference yesterday to call on the company to review its plans,which they compared to the relocation of the European air hub to Leipzig which resulted in 1,000 –1,200 lost jobs in Brussels. They called on regional, national and European politicians tointervene with the company.
The minister-president of Flanders, Kris Peeters, was due to meet DHL officials today(Friday) to discuss the company’s plans. He told Belgian TV that the offer to Belgian staff to moveabroad to save their jobs was “cynical”.
