Postal delivery strike looms over TNT job losses

[TrueBlueTerrier]

http://www.dutchnews.nl/news/archives/2 ... ooms_o.php" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The threat of a strike by postal workers came a step closer on Wednesday evening when the unions again rejected a comprise deal on redundancies from TNT Post.

TNT Post has offered to reduce the number of compulsory job losses from 4,500 to 3,100 but this is still nor far enough, union officials are quoted as saying by the Financieele Dagblad.

TNT Post plans to reduce its workforce by 11,000 jobs, or 8,600 full-time positions, by mid 2013, generating savings of €430m by 2017.

TNT says the shake-up is necessary to enable it to compete with budget delivery firms such as Sandd which do not formally employ delivery workers.

Instead, they are treated as freelancers and paid per item of post delivered. This means they are paid up to 30% less than the minimum wage, the unions say.

Unions will put the TNT offer to postal delivery workers on Thursday.

Talks on a new pay and conditions agreement for postal delivery workers broke down in September.