1,000 jobs seen at risk in Belgian postal route reorganisation

The postal route reorganisation planned by the Belgian postal service company De Post/La Poste might cost 1,000 full-time jobs, Lieve Vanoverbeke with the local ACV-Transcom trade union said on November 11, 2005.

The re-planning of the postal routes, dubbed Georoute 2, started on November 5, 2005 and will last between 16 and 18 months.

The introduction of the Georoute postal routes scheme in 2003 and 2004 was opposed by De Post/La Poste staff, who initiated strikes at a number of post offices.

The trade unions have now issued a strike notice. The unions do not call for strikes, but said employees, who spontaneously decided to start industrial action, would be thus entitled to get paid for the time they are on strike.

The strike notice expires in a month but Vanoverbeke said it would get extended for an indefinite period.

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Belgian Postal Route Reorganisation Not To Result in Layoffs – Tuybens
Belgian Business Digest 11-15-2005

The postal route reorganisation planned by the Belgian postal service company De Post/La Poste will not lead to layoffs, Bruno Tuybens, the Belgian Secretary of State for Public Enterprise, said on November 14, 2005.

Between 800 and 1,000 job cuts will be carried out via natural attrition, Tuybens added.

Georoute 2 envisages a calculation of the postmen’s work on the basis of correspondence, which, according to De Post/La Poste, has been decreasing year by year. The re-planning of the postal routes, dubbed Georoute 2, will be adapted to the changes in the road infrastructure and the construction of new quarters.

(Editor’s note: Georoute 2, started on November 5, 2005, will last between 16 and 18 months, the Belgian News Digest reported on November 11, 2005.

The introduction of the Georoute postal routes scheme in 2003 and 2004 was opposed by De Post/La Poste staff, who initiated strikes at a number of post offices.)

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