Court okays PostNL network consolidation plan

PostNL – the Dutch postal operator now separated from TNT – has been given court approval for its plans to close 300 mail facilities. A court in Amsterdam rejected a lawsuit from a trade union seeking to block the reorganisation of PostNL’s network.

The Enterprise Chamber of the Court of Amsterdam said yesterday that the scale of PostNL’s reorganisation plans was in proportion to the cost savings needed.

It said the proposal of the PostNL Works Council to keep open 150 of the delivery offices targeted for closure was not an acceptable alternative.

And, the verdict stated that PostNL had taken into account the interests of concerned employees in its reorganisation plans.

In a statement, PostNL said following the court verdict: “Through this verdict, PostNL can continue the intended reorganisations. This means, amongst others, that PostNL will continue establishing central preparation locations and closing 300 delivery offices in a phased manner.”