The postal workers union will begin talks with NZ Post this week to try to save the jobs of hundreds of posties.
Last year, the postal service announced it would cut 750 mail delivery roles in the next five years.
Union president John Maynard says the company has since confirmed that means there will be no posties employed by NZ Post after that deadline.
He says the service wants all delivery workers - parcels and mail - to be contractors, which leaves staff in a very vulnerable position.
"What the company intends to do is to give all the mail to the contract couriers who are delivering parcels. They're all contractors, the company doesn't want to make them employees. They don't get annual leave. I've spoken to contractors who haven't had a holiday for three years".
Maynard says consultation begins on Thursday and there was a lot to get through.
He is disappointed NZ Post went public with the cuts before consulting staff and also did not clarify that all workers would be replaced by contractors.
"We're happy to talk to the company about what the future might be but not in a manner in which they make a public announcement, which sort of effectively chops the legs out from under the posties. It had posties being asked in the street, 'oh so when are you losing your job'."
NZ Post refused to comment about the upcoming talks with the workers' union.
4 comments
chicken or egg
Posted on 31-01-2024 13:21 | By OG-2024
Absolute travesty NZ Post. You complain business is falling away/ customers complain you don't offer any service. MY NZ Post Courier is brilliant, the rest of the entity less so. I feel the ONLY profitable portion is stamps and collectables which could be stand alone.
Time for NZ Post to either offer REAL value in price and service or get out of business, plenty other delivery agents out there - although are they honestly any better?
the whole workplace employer vs employee situation is riddled with conflict and frankly with a lack of leadership from government what else can we expect? Deal with this quickly, clearly and at NO further cost to your customers - remember the old concept? the customer is the entire why you are in business at all!
The Master
Posted on 31-01-2024 16:25 | By Ian Stevenson
Everyone likes emails and so on. Result, no letters to deliver. A clear and obvious trend for decades....
Now, the main-stay of a letterbox is parcels resulting from online shopping, these are delivered by Couriers who are contractors...
All NZ Post are doing is following the need / demand decided by the public not NZ Post.
Cant see the issue re posties... get moving and keep up with the times laddies!!!!
Brought on by poor service
Posted on 31-01-2024 18:10 | By Angels
Registered mail not delivered if on a driveway. Only at the box . They have some crazy policies when in a real world competitive world . They may have to drive up a drive way on their scooter, o my what an imposition. They have become woke and lazy.
NZ Post And PBT courier buyout.
Posted on 31-01-2024 21:18 | By Cynical Me
At the same time, they have just applied to the Commerce Commission to buy the courier business of PBT couriers. Not the trucks just the couriers. Now the govt. is cringing over replacing the rail ferries so why NZ Post should get funds to do this we need to ask the Finance Minister. Probably hasn't been told yet.
The real issue is that they will degrade the service provided by PBT couriers which has finally got its act together.
Yu can read about the application on the commerce commission website and you can make a submission.
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