TNT Says Carriers' Strike May Delay Delivery of Xmas cards

[TrueBlueTerrier]

TNT Says Dutch Mail Carriers' Strike May Delay Delivery of Christmas Card

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TNT NV, the Dutch postal company spinning off its express-delivery business, may lose customers as its mail carriers in the Netherlands went on strike two weeks before the Christmas holidays. Postal workers began a three-day strike last night over planned jobs cuts at the Netherlands’ largest postal-delivery service.

The Abvakabo FNV union, which represents 10,000 TNT staff, doesn’t rule out additional walkouts before the holidays, spokeswoman Ilse van der Poel said. “At times we can’t offer certainty, clients may choose other options, like digitalizing their mail or choosing a competitor,” TNT spokeswoman Wendy Eelsing said in a telephone interview today. “We do think we can deliver the Christmas cards in time, albeit with a slight delay.”

TNT, which last year lost its state-regulated monopoly on letter-delivery, is aiming to cut 11,000 positions because of increasing competition in its domestic market and eroding delivery prices. Letter volumes are also dropping due to e-mail. TNT last week announced plans to spin off the Express unit, the second-biggest in Europe, and retain the smaller mail division.