Parcelforce job threat
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by Karen Miles • Hundreds of Parcelforce staff are facing redundancy as the company moves to put itself back in the black.
About 1,900 of the stateowned parcel company's 14,000 staff have been invited to take voluntary redundancy. Around 200 are expected to go from the organisation between March and October next year. Most will be administrative workers.
The new wave of job cuts follows the 600 posts that have gone since 1991 when Parcelforce announced a loss of £130 million. As a result the company is expected to break even in the second half of this financial year. Parcelforce has just posted a £17 million loss for the first half of 93/94—a reduction of around .44 million compared to the same period last year. Personnel director Tom Clay will be one of those leaving in March, partly to retire early, he says, and partly because of exasperation following the announcement 18 months ago by Trade President Michael HeseItine of his intention to sell the Post Office subsidiary.
Clay says: "I might have stayed on if there had been a quick decision," Last month Post Office chairman Mike Heron complained publicly that the Government's indecision was threatening Parcelforce, Royal Mail and Post Office Counters.