New businesses working on the Dutch postal market (Sandd, Selektmail and others) are going to have to meet several requirements. First, they have to sign a labor contract with their employees. Then, they have to bargain for collective agreements with unions. Mailmen working for a competitor of TNT Post (former TGP Royal Post), the former national company, which lost its monopoly on April 1, generally don’t receive minimum wage. Sometimes, they are paid by the number of letters delivered and do not always enjoy monthly payrolls or social contributions, yet mandatory in the Netherlands. The ordinance (Algemene Maatregel van Bestuur, AMVB) announced by the government on October 7 is aimed at fighting the development of such working conditions in businesses which haven’t signed a collective agreement yet. Besides, the government reminds that all postal collective agreements must mention that, at the latest three and a half years after the liberalization of the market, 80% of employees must have a formal labor contract with fixed wages and a payroll, and not piece by piece (“stuckloon”). For their part, the 25,000 employees of TNT Post accepted, in march, a 15% wage cut over three years in exchange for job security until 2012.
and a half years after the liberalization of the market, 80% of employees must have a formal labor contract with fixed wages and a payroll, and not piece by piece (“stuckloon”). For their part, the 25,000 employees of TNT Post accepted, in march, a 15% wage cut over three years in exchange for job security until 2012.
Planet Labor, October 8, 2009, No. 090916 – www.planetlabor.com
Do you have information to share with us?