Senegal's national postal service, La Poste, has completed the first phase of its negotiated departure plan, with 290 agents leaving the company. This move is part of a broader effort to restructure the business and improve its financial health. According to La Poste's director-general, Maguette Kane, over 360 agents had expressed interest in leaving the company. The departures were announced on the occasion of World Post Day.
The negotiated departure plan aims to adapt La Poste's personnel costs to its current level of activity. The company is facing significant challenges, including a decline in traditional mail and changes in its business operations, driven by evolving user habits and the rise of digital services. Data presented at an inter-ministerial council in September 2025 highlighted the extent of the imbalance, with La Poste's workforce growing by nearly 60% between 2012 and 2021, while its revenue declined by 26%.
La Poste's restructuring plan involves more than just reducing its workforce. The company aims to adapt its human resources to future needs, focusing on areas such as digital technology, logistics, e-commerce, digital financial services, and customer relations. A skills assessment is planned to identify areas where expertise needs to be developed or enhanced. This will enable La Poste to develop new activities, improve productivity, and preserve essential skills.
According to Maguette Kane, the success of the restructuring plan cannot be measured solely by the number of departures. The plan's effectiveness will depend on balancing cost control, maintaining strategic skills, and improving service quality for users. The director-general indicated that the company plans to achieve around 250 departures per year over three years, although this target is subject to change based on financial capacity and voluntary departure requests.
Maintaining a positive social climate is crucial to the success of La Poste's restructuring plan. The company aims to continue dialogue with union representatives and worker organizations throughout the process. Monitoring the plan's impact on salary costs, public service quality, and the company's ability to develop new activities will be essential in assessing its overall effectiveness.
La Poste's financial challenges are significant, with the company's workforce growing from approximately 2,600 in 2012 to over 4,100 in 2021. During the same period, the company faced a 26% decline in revenue. The negotiated departure plan is part of a broader effort to restore La Poste's financial health and adapt to changing market conditions.
The restructuring of La Poste is ongoing, with a focus on developing new skills and adapting to changing user habits. The company's ability to balance cost control with strategic skills maintenance and service quality improvement will be critical in determining the success of its transformation plan.
Key points
- La Poste's negotiated departure plan aims to adapt personnel costs to current activity levels.
- 290 agents left La Poste under the first phase of the negotiated departure plan.
- The company plans to achieve around 250 departures per year over three years.
