Reduction of TNT Express workforce in Italy
10.7.2013
Question for written answer E-008295-13
to the Commission
Rule 117
Salvatore Iacolino (PPE) , Magdi Cristiano Allam (EFD) , Alfredo Antoniozzi (PPE) , Pino Arlacchi (S&D) , Paolo Bartolozzi (PPE) , Fabrizio Bertot (PPE) , Mara Bizzotto (EFD) , Lara Comi (PPE) , Carlo Fidanza (PPE) , Franco Frigo (S&D) , Giuseppe Gargani (PPE) , Vincenzo Iovine (S&D) , Clemente Mastella (PPE) , Erminia Mazzoni (PPE) , Guido Milana (S&D) , Claudio Morganti (EFD) , Cristiana Muscardini (ECR) , Alfredo Pallone (PPE) , Niccolò Rinaldi (ALDE) , Giancarlo Scottà (EFD) , Giommaria Uggias (ALDE) , Salvatore Tatarella (PPE) , Antonio Cancian (PPE) , Tiziano Motti (PPE) , Roberta Angelilli (PPE) , Barbara Matera (PPE) , Elisabetta Gardini (PPE)
TNT Express Italy is part of TNT Express NV, a Dutch multinational that operates in the express services sector, providing worldwide delivery solutions. The company has a national network consisting of 117 branches located in various regions, 14 hubs, 5 customer services departments and more than 1 200 TNT points, and employs around 3 000 people.
On 10 June 2013 TNT Express announced a corporate restructuring plan to cope with the ongoing economic crisis. Under the plan, the smallest branches and their operations will be merged into larger branches, resulting in 854 redundancies and 24 branch closures between 2013 and 2014. On 28 June and 2 July 2013 employees and trade unions staged two days of protest strikes.
Given that the mobility programme for 854 employees will begin as early as 24 August 2013 — at the end of the restructuring process — and that there are no social safety nets in place for the employees, can the Commission say:
- — whether these redundancies can be included among those eligible to receive funding from the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund (EGF) and the European Social Fund (ESF) for the retraining and redeployment of workers;
- — whether the use of that funding can be coordinated on a national or regional basis;
- — whether there are any other financial instruments or measures from which the employees and/or the company could benefit in order to reduce the impact that the current restructuring process will have on the total workforce?
OJ C 65 E, 05/03/2014