PostNL has announced plans to launch a new Job Company in cooperation with two leading temporaryemployment agencies in the Netherlands to offer laid-off staff transitory jobs and support in
finding permanent work.The initiative comes ahead of PostNL’s restructuring process planned for 2012. From 2012 tomid-2013, PostNL plans to gradually close approximately 300 delivery offices.
Under the deal with Randstad and Tempo-Team, the new Job Company will provide PostNL workersmade redundant as part of the company’s cost-cutting measures with an income guarantee ensuringthey remain in the employment process and gain working experience. At the same time, the workerswill be assisted in finding a permanent job with the help of a personal coach and training wherenecessary.
To participate in the project, the postal employees will need to invest a part of theirseverance pay, added to a financial contribution by PostNL itself. The duration of the worker’scontract with the Job Company, which can be either one, two, three or three and a half years, willbe proportional to the sum the employee invests.
If the Job Company succeeds in finding a permanent job for a particular employee faster thanexpected, the worker may receive a partial refund of the money invested, depending on the durationof the contract.
“Randstad and Tempo-Team have the right know-how and a wealth of experience in job placement andare the leading players in the Netherlands in this area,” PostNL stressed.
During the last years, PostNL (former TNT Post) has been trying to improve its operationalprocesses. The company stressed that it had to restructure its logistics operations in a radicalway and centralise its key processes due to falling letter mail volumes and changing customerneeds. This will result in PostNL employing part-time workers, to a great extent, as the previous “fulltime postman” will be replaced by part-time mail delivery staff and preparation workers.
Since 2006, PostNL has been assisting workers who lost their jobs in finding a new one through aMobility (assisted reemployment) programme helping over 5,500 employees make the transition “fromwork to work”.
Pieter Kunz, Operations Director at PostNL said: “We are very pleased with the Job Company, asocially minded and innovative collaboration with truly experienced partners. With the Job Company,we are living up to the promise we made our employees in December last year that we would do ourutmost to find them a new job outside the company. For years, our company has championed the “workto work” principle, and this is also one of the cornerstones of the Randstad / Tempo-Team businessphilosophy. We understand the major dilemma our employees are facing right now; all the same we areconvinced that the Job Company offers these employees realistic, positive opportunities for thefuture.”
Tempo-Team Managing Director Kees Stroomer said the Job Company would combine the strength ofboth Tempo-Team and Randstad to ensure employment for PostNL staff. “Thanks to our large network ofcompanies, the many vacancies and our extensive experience, in general we should be able to findwork for these employees immediately. And from that position we will work constructively towardsfinding them a permanent position that suits their personal capacities and preferences.”
Paul Jekkers, union leader for BVPP, welcomed the step saying PostNL is living up to its promiseof December 2010 that it would limit the number of compulsory redundancies by increasing theprospects of redundant employees. “In my opinion, this is an excellent way to guide people fromwork to work, in addition to the opportunities offered through Mobility. The Job Company especiallyopens possibilities for those employees who are uncertain as to whether they can find other workthrough the Mobility programme”.
