NZ Post cuts 500 mail processing jobs

New Zealand Post has told staff it intends to close its Waikato, Wellington, Dunedin and heartland mail processing centres at a cost of 500 jobs.

The plan will result in 130 job losses in Waikato, 160 in Wellington, 75 in Dunedin and 125 in heartland and satellite sites.

New Zealand Post has indicated there is potential for 250 new full time equivalent roles in its Auckland, Manawatu and Christchurch mail centres, but predicts fewer than 5% of people affected by the cuts will relocate.

EPMU postal industry organiser Joe Gallagher says the announcement is devastating news for workers and their communities.

“There are a lot of people deeply fearful for their futures today. This is not a good time to find yourself on the dole queue and in the current environment it’s going to be very hard to get another job with secure hours and good rates of pay.

“We’re going to work with New Zealand Post to ensure everyone who loses their job receives their full redundancy entitlements and assistance finding new employment, but the reality is that won’t be enough.

“The Government really needs to step up to the plate here by making jobs its number one priority. People need to have some decent alternatives when they find themselves out of work and at the moment the jobs just aren’t there.”

Mr Gallagher says the union will continue to challenge cuts to New Zealand Post’s services, which also include a proposal to reduce postal delivery to three days a week and replace post offices with kiosks.

“We recognise New Zealand Post faces considerable commercial pressures and that some degree of change is inevitable, but we’re not convinced service cuts on this scale are justified.

“There are some serious questions about the figures these proposals are based on and we’ll be taking this up with the company and with the Government.”

ENDS

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