bpost management and social partners conclude a collective labour agreement for 2019-2020

bpost management and the social partners have reached an agreement that provides a positive response to the calls from employees and the challenges that bpost faces. The measures mainly relate to increasing the attractiveness of jobs on the field by raising purchasing power and developing a concrete approach to tackling the workload. Management also confirms job preservation within the company.  

Koen Van Gerven, CEO of bpost says: “These have been intense weeks for bpost but today we present a positive, concrete plan to re-establish trust, restore peace in the company and work together on a future in which bpost, more than ever, is there for employees, customers and citizens.”The collective labour agreement contains a series of measures relating to increasing the attractiveness of the job of postman by means of improved financial conditions, additional days off and clear prospects for enhancing the salary package.It also responds to the call to increase the purchasing power of employees. In addition, the agreement contains a series of concrete measures to tackle the workload in the field. Additional resources will be deployed to deal with the end-of-year peak and resolve the problems in bottleneck areas. The agreement provides for 1,000 additional employees and the setup of specific consulting committees to handle difficult delivery rounds. Lastly, all parties involved share the same goal of adapting bpost’s organisation in the long term to the fast-developing needs of customers and citizens. But this will always be done in consultation, in a spirit of respect for bpost’s employees at post offices and sorting centres and on letter and parcel delivery rounds. Koen Van Gerven says: “I am convinced that bpost is set to write a compelling story, with products and services that are adapted to the changing customer’s needs. Our employees make this possible. We have now entered an important period in which we at bpost continue to make a difference for customers and citizens.”The collective labour agreement for 2019-2020 will impact our cost base by around EUR 20m on a yearly basis.The agreement was obtained with a  majority of 2/3rd of the social partners. The other social partners have committed to present it favourably in order to ratify the agreement at a next joint committee.