Deutsche Post to offer some of its mail carriers part-time contracts

Deutsche Post World Net AG plans to offer some of its 79,000 German-based mail carriers part-time contracts as part of its drive to reduce costs, the Financial Times Deutschland reported without citing its sources.

A Verdi union spokeswoman told the newspaper that the part-time contracts will be offered primarily to trainees who do not have permanent contracts. They will work 30 hours instead of 38.5.

‘We are afraid that they (Deutsche Post) want to cross a threshold here so that they can reduce their salary costs on a massive scale in the future,’ the spokeswoman said.

Deutsche Post has said it is planning to close around 1,000 branch offices by the end of 2005 in order to save money.