In May 2000, the board of the Austrian postal service (Post AG) launched a reform package known as "Speed", which includes a variety of measures aimed at cutting personnel costs related to its present 31,000 employees. Under the plan, the current annual personnel expenditure of ATS 14 billion should be reduced by 15%-20% by 2003. Furthermore, the goal is to abolish generalised, automatic overtime payments currently made to staff in small post office branches in the event of their colleagues taking holiday or sick leave. Working time should be calculated on an annual basis instead of the current weekly calculation, thus reducing overtime payments, while business hours in post offices are to be prolonged.
In May 2000, the management of the Austrian postal service announced cost-cutting and restructuring plans, which would affect employees considerably, while the government presented reform plans for the service. Trade unions rejected these reform proposals and announced protests.
In May 2000, the board of the Austrian postal service (Post AG) launched a reform package known as "Speed", which includes a variety of measures aimed at cutting personnel costs related to its present 31,000 employees. Under the plan, the current annual personnel expenditure of ATS 14 billion should be reduced by 15%-20% by 2003. Furthermore, the goal is to abolish generalised, automatic overtime payments currently made to staff in small post office branches in the event of their colleagues taking holiday or sick leave. Working time should be calculated on an annual basis instead of the current weekly calculation, thus reducing overtime payments, while business hours in post offices are to be prolonged.
In April, the new coalition government made up of the populist Freedom Party (Freiheitliche Partei Österreichs, FPÖ) and the conservative People's Party (Österreichische Volkspartei, ÖVP) ("AT0002212F") submitted a bill on privatisation. The plans include the privatisation of the post savings bank Österreichische Postsparkasse (PSK) during 2000. Since the PSK utilises post offices as branches, fears emerged that the postal service might lose the corresponding payments from the PSK due to changes in ownership. Some post offices could be closed down as a consequence.
Employees in the postal service also face cuts in their pensions, since the new government has proposed considerable reductions in entitlement and tighter regulations in the event of early retirement, in both the private and public sectors (AT0002211N) .
The Union of Postal and Telecommunication Workers (Gewerkschaft der Post- und Fernmeldebediensteten, GPF) held a meeting to consider measures to oppose the post office management's proposals, such as staff meetings in all postal offices, or strikes. The union fears that 7,000 jobs are at risk in the postal service. The union is receiving support from the Austrian Trade Union Federation (Österreichischer Gewerkschaftsbund, ÖGB), to which it is affiliated, and from all the other ÖGB member unions.
Eurofound recommends citing this publication in the following way.
Eurofound (2000), Postal service faces restructuring, article.
