Dutch Strike Threat Echoes Royal Mail Woes

[POSTMAN]

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The national postal service in the Netherlands, TNT Post, is facing similar problems to the Royal Mail, with the threat of strikes as the company attempts to restructure in a more competitive marketplace.

Holland's mail service was liberalised in April this year.

TNT postman Henny Melsbach has delivered the mail in Apeldoorn for 31 years but fears he could soon be made redundant.

"We have more postmen now working from other companies. They take our work because their contracts are much cheaper," he says.

The 52-year-old is now being asked to accept tougher working conditions in exchange for job security.

The Dutch postal union has reacted angrily and is now threatening industrial action.

TNT Post is facing similar problems to the Royal Mail.

Sandd Dutch Postal Service

Sandd: Aggresive competition

As the nation postal service it must deliver letters all over the country, which is expensive.

But they have also been hurt by declining mail volumes because of the internet and rising competition.

Relatively new delivery companies, like Sandd, are aggressively chasing TNT Post's market share.

But they don't share the same overheads.

General manager Thomas Hopman says the company is competitively nimble, thanks to new technology and the use of temporary contracts.

"Freelance contracts give us the flexibility to grow without the labour costs that a relatively expensive fixed contract has," he says.

The man responsible for pushing through Holland's liberalisation reforms claims it has made the industry sharper.

Postal Minister, Frank Heemskerk, admits it's a tough environment for the mail companies but says the customer is getting a better service.

"As consumers, and especially from business to consumer, there is more flexibility, and in that respect competition has caused the mail companies to modernise and that's where consumers benefit."

But in this brave new postal world there are losers. Many of TNT's postmen face redundancy as the industry grapples with life in the age of the email and fax.

[dongash]

same old s**t ,different country!!!!!