In an effort to reduce costs by 10% and save around CHF42m (US$49m) by 2025, Swiss Post is to cut approximately 110 full-time jobs.
These cuts apply exclusively to administrative positions. No mail carriers or staff in branches or sorting centers will be affected. As far as possible, Swiss Post will implement the planned staff reduction via natural fluctuation, early retirements and reductions in employment levels.
However, Swiss Post states that it deeply regrets that there could still be a maximum of 69 redundancies as part of the currently planned efficiency measures. The company plans to ensure that the staff reduction is as socially responsible as possible and will mitigate any negative impact. In addition, there may be changes to employment contracts for up to 114 employees. The majority of these changes relate to the place of employment, with office space in the Bern area being merged so that it can be used more economically.
This decision has been made due to the challenging economic environment, including higher costs, subdued consumer confidence, lower letter volumes, regulatory requirements and fewer payments carried out at branch counters. The measures are intended to contribute to a stable Swiss Post with healthy finances, enabling it to remain competitive. For this reason, Swiss Post has also launched initiatives such as an efficiency program in logistics services management – in addition to the efficiency measures already planned in its company strategy. The support function units within Swiss Post Group will now also have to play their part. Specifically, the finance, human resources, informatics/technology, communication and CEO corporate services units are to be involved, as these units are also affected by inflation. These units have to reduce their costs by 10% or around CHF42m (US$49m) a year.
Swiss Post informed employees in the support function units of the planned measures in a letter on January 9. As part of a consultation process, these employees will now have the opportunity to submit suggestions as to how redundancies can be prevented or limited and how the impact could be mitigated. Swiss Post is in dialog with its social partners, the trade union Syndicom and the staff association Transfair. The efficiency measures are to be implemented from March 2024, with any ramifications coming into effect in 2025 at the latest.
Read more key operations updates from the parcel and postal technology industry, here.