PostNL begins delivery network restructuring effort
PostNL has begun the restructuring of its delivery network, announcing the closure of a number of delivery offices in the Gelderland and Utrecht provinces of the Netherlands. The Dutch postal service is looking to close as many as 300 delivery offices in phases from now until the autumn of 2013, in response to declining mail volumes.
The company is redesigning its logistics model with the centralising of its delivery processes, and is also set to make use of more part-time staff to increase the flexibility of its workforce. Staff were informed of the changes last summer, with expectations of 11,000 job losses including 2,800 compulsory lay-offs.
Today PostNL said it was closing delivery locations in Ede, Lunteren, Oosterbeek, Renkum and Wageningen in the Gelderland province, as well as in Houten, Utrecht.
Mail preparation activities are being transferred to a central mail preparation site in Utrecht, the company said in a statement. The site will “mainly” make use of part-time sorting staff to prepare mail for delivery by mail carriers.
“Drastic changes”
Domestic mail volumes have been declining by around 6.9% year-on-year recently, as mail communications continues its steady shift online. The changes to the delivery network are attempting to reduce operating costs to meet the falling income from mail.
“PostNL has been forced to make drastic changes to its operations in response to changing customer needs and the sharp decrease in postal volumes,” the company said.
“Consumers will notice that they are receiving more mail on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday than on the other days. This move is in response to the fact that businesses prefer to have their mail delivered on these days,” said PostNL, adding that domestic mail deposited in public mailboxes will be delivered next day as usual.
As well as closing delivery offices and altering the pattern of mail delivery, PostNL said it is no longer to use full-time delivery staff. It currently employs 17,000 part-time mail carriers, who pick up fully-sorted mail from the central delivery site without having to sort it themselves into sequence order.
“Postal work will no longer be done the way it has been up to now by mailmen and women and Saturday delivery staff, and these positions will cease to exist,” said the company.
PostNL set up a new Job Company last year to help laid off workers find new employment.
