DHL 2012 Annual Report Download - page 161

e Group also contributes to a number of dened contribu-
tion pension plans. Contributions to these pension plans are recog-
nised as sta costs.
In addition, the Group participates in a number of multi-
employer pension plans. e relevant institutions do not provide
the participating companies with sucient information which
allows the allocation of the respective proportionate share of the
dened benet obligation, plan assets and costs. e plans are
therefore accounted for as if they were dened contribution plans.
       
Deutsche Post  pays contributions to dened contribution
plans for civil servants in accordance with statutory provisions.
Under the provisions of the Gesetz zum Personalrecht der
Beschäigten der früheren Deutschen Bundespost (PostPersRG –
Deutsche Bundespost Former Employees Act), introduced as
article  of the Gesetz zur Neuordnung des Postwesens und der
Tele kommunikation (PTNeuOG – German Posts and Tele com-
munications Reorganisation Act), Deutsche Post  provides
benet and assistance payments through a special pension fund
for postal civil servants (Postbeamtenversorgungskasse) operated
jointly, since early , by the Deutsche Bundespost successor
companies, the Bundes-Pensions-Service für Post und Telekom-
munikation e. V. -, to retired employees or their surviv-
ing dependants who are entitled to benets on the basis of a civil
service appointment. e amount of Deutsche Post ’s payment
obligations is governed by section  of the PostPersRG. Since
, this Act has obliged Deutsche Post  to pay into the postal
civil servant pension fund an annual contribution of   of the
gross compensation of its active civil servants and the notional
gross compensation of civil servants on leave of absence who are
eligible for a pension.
In the year under review, expenses resulting from Deutsche
Post ’s contributions to the - amounted to  million
(previous year:  million).
Under section  of the PostPersRG, the federal government
takes appropriate measures to make good the dierence between
the current payment obligations of the postal civil servant pension
fund on the one hand, and the funding companies’ current contri-
butions or other return on assets on the other, and guarantees that
the postal civil servant pension fund is able at all times to meet
the obligations it has assumed in respect of its funding companies.
Insofar as the federal government makes payments to the postal
civil servant pension fund under the terms of this guarantee, it
cannot claim reimbursement from Deutsche Post .
Under the Gesetz zur Neuordnung der Postbeamtenversorgungs-
kasse (PVKNeuG – Act for the Reorganisation of the Postal Civil
Servant Pension Fund), which entered into force on  January ,
the Bundesanstalt für Post und Telekommunikation (BAnstPT –
Federal Posts and Telecommunications Agency) as legal successor
assumes the -’s rights and obligations and undertakes the
tasks of the postal civil servant pension fund. ere will be no
change to the requirements relating to the contribution payable in
accord ance with section  of the PostPersRG.
      

e obligations under dened benet pension plans for the
Group’s hourly workers and salaried employees relate primar-
ily to pension obligations in Germany and pension or lump-sum
obligations in the , the Netherlands, Switzerland and the .
ere are various commitments to individual groups of employees.
e commitments usually depend on length of service and either
nal salary (e. g., the ) or the amount of contributions paid (e. g.,
Switzerland), or a xed-amount benet system (e. g., Germany).
Some of the dened benet plans have been closed to new
entrants (e. g., in the ) or additionally to further increases in
benets for existing beneciaries (e. g., in the ); in these cases,
there has been a switch to dened contribution plans. Financial
information on the dened benet plans can be found in Note .
In , employer contributions totalling  million were
paid in respect of dened contribution plans for the Group’s hourly
workers and salaried employees (previous year:  million).
Other provisions
Other provisions are recognised for all legal or constructive
obligations to third parties existing at the balance sheet date that
have arisen as a result of past events, that are expected to result
in an outow of future economic benets and whose amount can
be measured reliably. ey represent uncertain obligations that are
carried at the best estimate of the expenditure required to settle
the obligation. Provisions with more than one year to maturity are
discounted at market rates of interest that reect the risk, region
and time to settlement of the obligation. e discount rates used in
the nancial year were between .  and .  (previous year:
.  to . ). e eects arising from changes in interest rates
are recognised in net nancial income / net nance cost.
Provisions for restructurings are only established in accord-
ance with the aforementioned criteria for recognition if a detailed,
formal restructuring plan has been drawn up and communicated
to those aected.
Deutsche Post DHL Annual Report 
Consolidated Financial Statements
Notes
Basis of preparation
157