PostNL and trade unions reach agreements in principle on collective labour agreements
PostNL and trade unions BVPP and CNV reached an agreement in principle for a new PostNL collective labour agreement (CLA) and a CLA for Saturday deliverers. These trade unions will positively present both agreements in principle to their members. A third union, FNV, will also submit the result of the CLA negotiations to its members. It has been agreed that wages will increase by 5.5% in two years. Furthermore, a non-recurring payment of 0.5% will be paid. The PostNL CLA also includes agreements on sustainable employment, hiring of more parcel deliverers and an allowance for home workers.
Salary and additional benefits
The agreements in principle include a structural salary increase of a total of 5.5% over two years, a performance-related bonus of 2% over 2020 and a non-recurring payment of 0.5% in December 2020. This is on top of the previously announced extra net payment of €250 in appreciation for working during the Covid-19 crisis. People in office-based roles will get a home working allowance of €45 net per month. In addition, the following was agreed upon:
Sustainable employment
- Extension and improvement of (what was previously known as) the Generation Pact. An agreement concerning older employees who can work less hours with partial retention of salary and pension accrual.
- An early retirement scheme (three years before pensionable age) for 300 employees with physically demanding jobs.
- Ability to save up leave for early retirement to be increased from 50 weeks to 100 weeks.
- Better facilitate the flow from the postal company to other, growing business units of PostNL, such as the Parcels and IT/digital departments.
- Expanding the number of parcel delivery workers on contracts to 2,000.
- Accelerating the conversion of 200 temporary contracts into permanent contracts at Parcels & Logistics.
- PostNL aims to encourage employment contracts for parcel deliverers in the sector. Currently, 80% of parcel deliverers have an employment contract and are employed either directly by PostNL (PostNL CLA) or by a third party (BGV CLA). The CLA parties aim for this to become the standard throughout the parcel sector in order to prevent competition on terms of employment.
- Hiring 200 temporary workers for future-proof roles with permanent contracts within PostNL.
- Letter of intent for agreements in the parcel sector to reduce the number of heavy parcels (> 23 kg) in order to lighten the load of parcel deliverers and to prevent competition on working conditions by creating a level playing field.
Consultations
The outcome of the consultations is expected on 8 December. The CLA for PostNL applies to approximately 18,000 PostNL employees. The CLA for Saturday deliverers applies to over 200 employees in total. Postal deliverers have a separate CLA.
More information
This is a translation of the Dutch press release. In case of any differences between the English and Dutch version, the Dutch version is leading. This press release contains inside information within the meaning of article 7(1) of the EU Market Abuse Regulation.
About PostNL
We are PostNL, the mail and logistics solutions provider for all. With our mail and parcel deliverers who get everywhere, our over 4,800 PostNL locations and 11,000 postboxes, we are always nearby. We aim to be our customers’ favourite deliverer by making it as easy as possible for them to send and receive parcels and letters. Our over 37,000 people are right at the heart of society. On weekdays, we deliver an average 1.2 million parcels and 8 million letters across the Benelux region. Our focus is on quality for our customers, creating opportunities for our people and adding value for our stakeholders through growth, digitalisation and sustainability initiatives.
We optimise and support our physical networks by using smart digital solutions and launching new propositions that create value for our customers. We build long-lasting working relationships by acting as a good employer and client for everyone who works for and with us. To make our deliveries as sustainable as possible, we cover a lot of kilometres on foot or by bicycle or e-bike, provide innovative city logistics, use cleaner fuels, and use electric vans and light electric trucks. PostNL NV is a listed company with revenues of €3.5 billion in 2021. We provide deliveries of mail and parcels, logistics solutions for e-commerce, and cross-border solutions.