No relaxation of postal worker rules: minister

The cabinet is not prepared to be more flexible about the introduction of proper employment contracts in the postal delivery sector, junior economic affairs minister Frank Heemskerk said on Thursday.

Postal delivery firms Sandd and Selekt Mail have urged the government to relax an agreement forcing it to give 10% of workers a fixed contract by April next year, rising to 80% by 2012.
They argue the plan is impossible because of the price war in the sector. If forced to comply, they may go bankrupt, the two firms said last week.
But Heemskerk said it is up to the companies themselves to make sure they are profitable. ‘I am not responsible for the fact they are involved in price dumping,’ he said.
Former state monopoly TNT has lost several contracts to Sandd and Selekt Mail, who pay their staff a few cents for each item of post they deliver. Nor are most of their staff covered for sick and holiday pay.
The Dutch competition authority NMa said last week there is no evidence that TNT is using its budget subsidiary Netwerk VSP to distort the market.