Mailboxes first and second class letter-post items in Helsinki on August 28, 2014. Photo – Lehtikuva.
National postal and logistics service provider Itella said the statutory negotiations were part of an efficiency improvement programme aimed at cutting excessive costs to cope with increased competition.
“The level of our costs compared to our competitors is not competitive at the moment and we have decided to go ahead with this savings programme,” said Susanna Sjöman, head of human resource at Itella.
According to Sjöman, Itella’s biggest competitors are the international postal and logistics service providers.
The company through its efficiency improvement programme is looking to save 75 million euros in 2015-2016.
In addition to making savings from employee expenditure, the corporation is also aiming to cut costs in its IT department.
The co-determination negotiations cover just over 2,200 employees. According to preliminary estimates, the redundancy needed stands at 319 employees.
The negotiations concern mostly within Itella’s administration, production specialists and managerial positions. The negotiations however do not concern postal offices, sorting and job descriptions in mail distribution.
The outcome of the negotiations is expected in mid-October.
