Dutch postal liberalisation law likely to pass in June
The Dutch parliament will likely pass a law fully liberalising the domestic postal market in June after compromising with the cabinet on the sticking point of labour provisions, the parliament’s official website confirms.
The legislation will open the market for letters under 50 grams next year to TNT NV competitors Sandd and Selekt Mail, a Deutsche Post subsidiary that counts Dutch publisher Wegener NV as a stakeholder.
In a final debate on the subject with Deputy Economic Affairs Minister Frank Heemskerk yesterday, a parliamentary majority came out in favour of liberalisation after a cabinet amendment was incorporated requiring postal companies like Sandd and Direkt Mail to make labour agreements with unions or face government intervention.
Unlike TNT, which has a collective labour agreement, Sandd and Selekt Mail use alternative payment schemes for employees including performance-based salaries measured by total deliveries.
Unions had warned that such schemes could allow companies to pay less than minimum wage and create unfair competition and political objectors had demanded that minimum labour regulations be included in the liberalisation law.
Parliament is expected to vote on the law on June 5.
