85.9 percent for strike
Deutsche Post: Verdi members vote for an indefinite strike
3/9/2023 2:04 p.m
The employees of Deutsche Post decide in a ballot with a large majority for an indefinite strike. 85.9 percent of the participants voted against the employer’s offer. The negotiations should continue despite the decision on Friday.
The members of the Verdi union employed by Deutsche Post have spoken out in favor of an indefinite strike. According to the union, 85.9 percent of those who took part in a vote rejected the company’s offer in the collective bargaining dispute. The Post therefore offered further negotiations; they are scheduled to continue on Friday.
Collective bargaining for around 160,000 employees failed in the third round in mid-February. Verdi then called for the employers’ offer to be rejected and called for indefinite strike action. The vote on this ran until Wednesday, and 75 percent of the votes were needed to accept the union’s proposals.
So far, Swiss Post has been offering a tax-free inflation bonus of a total of 3,000 euros over two years retrospectively from January, as well as a wage increase of a total of 340 euros per month in two stages from 2024. Verdi is demanding a 15 percent increase in salary and an increase in training allowances of 200 euros per month for each year of training over a period of one year.
FDP calls for restraint on wage demands
“Deutsche Post today asked Verdi to resume collective bargaining,” and the union is complying, said Verdi negotiator Andrea Kocsis. “Deutsche Post AG is now responsible for averting an indefinite strike by making significant material improvements to the rejected offer.”
The FDP has sharply criticized the announced postal strike by the Verdi union. The economic policy spokesman for the FDP parliamentary group, Reinhard Houben, told the news portal t-online: “Even with high inflation, Verdi’s demand to increase salaries by 15 percent is unrealistic. Against this background, a strike is not justified. The service union should When it comes to their wage demands, they tend to orientate themselves more towards the conclusions of IG Metall and IGBCE.”
The Deutsche Post DHL group announced that it had surpassed its sales record from the previous year by 15.5 percent at EUR 94.4 billion. However, the growth is exclusively due to foreign business. The result of the post and parcel business in Germany was therefore in decline.