PostNL has reached a key wage and pensions agreement with members of its trade unions who haveapproved the agreement in principle for PostNL’s Collective Labour Agreement (CLA).
The agreement with members of the Abvakabo FNV, BVPP, CNV Publieke Zaak and VPP unions follows adecision by union representatives last December to accept the terms of the CLA, which runs from 1January 2012 to 31 March 2013. The Dutch postal operator described the CLA as “a good balance ofthe wishes of both the labour organisations and the company”.
Under the agreement, employees will receive a 1.7% salary increase, plus an additional 0.4%following the definitive approval of the company’s new pension scheme.
In addition, the parties are jointly in talks with PostNL’s pension fund on a new pensionarrangement, after PostNL revealed that it could no longer afford to pay the ‘untenable’contribution levels of its previous pension obligations. Under the new pension arrangements,current employees will pay a pension contribution of 2% as of 1 January 2013, with new employeesmaking a pension contribution of 6%. A spokesman told CEP-Research that the talks were ongoing, inan attempt to find a solution with the pension fund that was sustainable in the long term.
PostNL also revealed today that the company’s “Social Plan” would be extended by one year, from1 January 2013 through to 31 December 2013. This is the package of measures introduced by PostNL tosupport employees who are losing their jobs under the company’s restructuring programme, inresponse to the structural decline and changes within the postal sector.
Among the changes, the Dutch postal operator is moving from a full-time to a part-timeemployment model for its delivery staff, as it seeks to reduce operating costs in response tofalling mail volumes and financial pressure due to declining mail revenues and lower operatingprofits, as well as a sharp drop in the value of its 29.9% stake in TNT Express, due to the latter’s share price decline.
The PostNL spokesman said he was pleased that the company had extended the support offered bythe Social Plan and said the announcements today were positive pieces of news that would “help toprovide stability and certainty” to employees during a period of difficult change for allparties.
He said the extension of the Social Plan was not directly linked to the decision last year toput on hold some aspects of the restructuring plan as a result of declining service levels. He saidfurther information about the status of the restructuring plan would be provided on 25 February, atthe publication of PostNL’s financial results, and the company was unable to discuss the matteruntil this date.
