Justice demands a fine of more than 24 million euros for PostNL Belgium
‘unlawful use of third party personnel’
The Public Prosecution Service in Belgium has demanded a fine of 24.4 million euros in a case against the Belgian branch of PostNL. According to the prosecutor, two parts of the postal company, PostNL Cargo and PostNL Pakketten, unlawfully deployed third-party personnel for several years. For example, employees of another company were called upon, but it was PostNL that had the most authority over them.
editorial nt / anp
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May 2, 2024 12:11
These practices came to light after raids by the Belgian labor inspectorate in 2021 and 2022. A sorting center was even temporarily closed and the CEO of PostNL Belgium was detained for weeks. He was suspected of leading a criminal organization.
During the raids, the Belgian labor inspectorate further established that PostNL’s parcel delivery in Belgium was largely run by subcontractors, including rogue subcontractors. They also allegedly used drivers without a driver’s license and underage workers.
PostNL reports in its 2023 annual report that ‘several’ charges are pending against the company. For example, no social security contributions were paid and there was also false self-employment among the couriers engaged. The Dutch postal and parcel company is also suspected of ‘the illegal use of employees’, according to the annual report.
