– We are facing a challenge, I called it clinical death, the heart is beating, but we have to transform – said Sebastian Mikosz, president Polish Postat a press conference on Wednesday, August 14. The company's recovery process will begin with the following areas: employment, improving the quality of services and IT.
There will be layoffs from Poczta Polska. Up to 9,000 people may lose their jobs
Poczta Polska will launch a voluntary redundancy program in a few weeks. The reason is the highest employment costs in the EU in relation to revenues, which constitute 65% of the company's expenses.
– We will assess the employees, change the structure and offer the program to 15 percent of the staff, about 9 thousand people, but not to groups, but to individuals selected after the assessment – said Sebastian Mikosz, quoted by TVP Info. The program will not be aimed at postmen or people employed in post offices, but at administrative workers. People who decide to leave under the agreement will be able to start a new job the next day.
The severance pay will be equivalent to one year's salary salarieswhich will cost Poczta Polska PLN 600 million. The president added that the company can afford it and it is necessary to be able to raise the salaries of other employees, especially since the structure of salaries is currently disproportionate, in his opinion.
Sebastian Mikosz also announced that the process of terminating the collective agreement has begun, and union members have been notified. However, nothing will change for employees until March next year. A new collective agreement is to be negotiated by then.
Poczta Polska is facing a transformation. First, a painful diagnosis
The President of Poczta Polska said that the transformation must begin with a painful diagnosis, which shows that the services it offers are anachronistic and that the company has a “large technological debt resulting from past mistakes”. Sebastian Mikosz adds that the network of branches has been neglected and is not adapted to the expectations of customers. In addition, Poczta Polska does not count on the courier market and does not offer satisfactory financial products, although it owns Bank Pocztowy.
We are a bad employer, poor work organization and working conditions
– summarized the company’s president.
Mikosz also said that Poczta Polska is in a very difficult financial situation and the financial results for the first half of this year are “terrible”. The loss reached PLN 315 million, and this trend is still continuing. Due to the fact that we are sending fewer and fewer letters, Poczta Polska is to become mainly a courier company. In order to save the company, it is necessary to focus on sales, so that Poczta Polska can earn money for itself. The transformation of the company is to be measured by its revenues.
Despite so many problems, the president of Poczta Polska claims that there are grounds for rebuilding the company. – It is the ability to distribute products and services, a recognizable brand, logistics capabilities, the ability to handle cash and having real estate – he said.