2023-11-05 20:44:30
After the elimination of 442 positions in a subsidiary at the end of October, other jobs seem threatened at La Poste. The chairman of the board of directors Christian Levrat, however, affirmed in 7:30 p.m. that it was “impossible” to know at this stage whether this will be the case.
Letters, invoices or postcards, the volume of mail sent each year has decreased by 30% in ten years, resulting in a 25% drop in the number of employees over the same period. And this is expected to decrease further: last March, La Poste launched a vast savings plan to reduce its expenses by 42 million francs by 2025.
>> Read also: La Poste wants to save 42 million francs and cut jobs
The staff of Direct Mail Company (DMC), a subsidiary of La Poste responsible for distributing unaddressed advertisements, suffered the costs of these savings measures. On October 25, its general director announced his disappearance and, with it, the elimination of 442 full-time positions. In French-speaking Switzerland, more than 400 people would be affected. The unions asked La Poste to replace these employees.
>> Lire: More than 400 positions cut in a subsidiary of the yellow giant
For its part, the company says it is looking for solutions. A solution should be found for the 72 full-time employees of DMC, according to the chairman of the board of directors of La Poste Christian Levrat. Concerning the 3,855 part-time delivery workers, “we will examine what is possible,” he said. “No one expects us to be able to offer thousands of jobs at 10%, but we must do the maximum,” the Freiburger also declared in the SonntagsZeitung, recalling that it mainly concerns rates of 8 at 20%.
Other jobs potentially at risk
Jobs at DMC are not the only ones at risk. According to the German-speaking press, 300 positions are on the hot seat within La Poste. A figure that Christian Levrat does not confirm “as it stands”.
“We are trying to gain time and efficiency in our central services and are trying to reduce our costs by approximately 10%. It is impossible to tell at this stage whether this will result in job losses or modified work processes “, for example by making greater use of artificial intelligence, he explained on the 7:30 p.m. set.
>> Update on La Poste’s savings plan in the 7:30 p.m.:
La Poste intends to continue reducing its expenses to absorb the reduction in the volume of mail / 7:30 p.m. / 1 min. / today at 7:30 p.m.
Postal offices must “adapt”
The decline in postal activity also has consequences on the number of post offices. Last year, 32 closed their doors. To limit damage, others will sort more expensive shipments: letters A and B will cost 10 cents more than today from January 1, while Priority and Economy packages will be increased by 1.50 francs.
>> Read about it: Prices for letters and parcels rising again next year
On this aspect, Christian Levrat recalls that La Poste has committed not to close other postal offices until the end of 2024. The 20% drop per year in payment traffic in its offices, for the third consecutive year, which causes a drastic reduction in attendance, however requires “adapting”, underlined the president. “We perhaps need to make these offices more welcoming and make greater use of forms of automation and digitization to make them places that meet the expectations of our clients,” said the former advisor to the States and ex-president of the Swiss Socialist Party.
>> Read also: Christian Levrat: “La Poste must increase its points of contact with the population”
La Poste also wants to be authorized by Parliament to deliver mail after 12:30 p.m. in order to centralize deliveries. “We are trying to group together tours which are currently carried out separately. Where we distribute newspapers, we are forced to do so until 12:30 p.m. However, most of our customers want to receive their parcel during the course of in the afternoon”, noted Christian Levrat. Parliamentarians will have the last word on this subject.
Subject and TV interview: Charlotte Onfroy-Barrier and Jennifer Covo
Web text: Isabel Ares with ats
1699217441
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