Netherlands: liberalization of the postal market leads to social arm wrestling

Dutch unions are still trying to get the same guaranties as German unions on hourly minimum wage for the postal sector's employees before its liberalization in six months. Negotiations on working conditions in the postal sector have been standing still since the beginning of January. (Ref. 080089)
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Negotiations are especially tough within the TNT, former TPG Royal Post, of which the State still owns 19%, after several partial privatizations. After it became a multinational express mail company, with 163.000 employees throughout the world, the group announced about 7.000 dismissals in the Netherlands by 2010 and tree-year wage freeze for its 50.000 Dutch employees. TNT also wants to generalize performance-based pay (number of covers delivered by postmen), a method already used by Saand and

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