The union representing some of the 500 New Zealand Post Group workers losing their jobs in the latest round of retrenchments says it got no notice of the cuts but expects there will be more to come as the state-owned postal service scales back on traditional mail.
Joe Gallagher, the industry organiser for postal workers at Etu, said he got no formal notification from NZ Post that the job cuts would be announced yesterday. E tu was created last October through the merger of the Engineering, Printing and Manufacturing Union and the Service and Food Workers Union.
"I was aware, but only through individuals talking to me," Gallagher said. "I had to ring some pretty high-level people in New Zealand Post this morning and say 'what the hell?' They seem to forget a lot of people retain union membership. It doesn't surprise me, but it has been a bit of a shock today."
In a statement, NZ Post said it would cut about 500 jobs, mainly managers and specialists at head office and in support roles in Wellington, Auckland and Christchurch.
"This forms part of the 1500-2000 roles indicated in late 2013 when the five-year plan was announced," a NZ Post spokesman said in a statement. "The process is part of our ongoing change as we redefine ourselves for the future in response to an annual $20 million-to-$30 million fall in revenue as people send 60 million fewer letters every year. We expect this process to be completed by this July."
