Employers without understanding
Post strike goes to the next round
01/26/2023 5:13 p.m
In the dispute over the 15 percent wage increase, thousands of postal workers struck again: around a third of the workforce stopped working. It is unclear exactly when the approximately 450,000 packages affected will reach their recipients. “It may well be that more strikes will follow,” announced Verdi.
Thousands of postmen, parcel carriers and other employees at Deutsche Post have once again stopped work to emphasize their demand for a 15 percent increase in wages. The Verdi union spoke of 6,000 participants in the warning strikes on Thursday, the Deutsche Post of 3,100. As with the warning strikes last week, the participation rate at the affected post locations was around a third, according to company information. This time, Verdi struck fewer postal sites than last week, so the number of warning strike participants was lower.
According to the company, around 450,000 packages were left behind nationwide as a result of the outstanding deliveries, which was almost seven percent of the average daily volume. The rate for letters was 3.5 percent, i.e. 1.7 million. These shipments should be delivered by the beginning of next week at the latest – the exact time of delivery also depends on whether further work stoppages follow and the required sorting and delivery centers are affected. During the two-and-a-half-day warning strike last week, one million packages and three million letters were left behind, and around 30,000 employees stopped work.
Verdi sees “very good participation”
Thomas Großstück from Verdi NRW spoke of “very good participation”. The warning strikes were initially only planned for one day, i.e. until Friday night. However, an extension was possible. “It may well be that more warning strikes will follow in the next few days,” said the trade unionist. The employee side is demanding 15 percent more wages for the around 160,000 employees in the Post & Parcel Germany sector. This is far too much for the company, and it considers this requirement unfulfillable.
The spokesman for the Post reacted with incomprehension to the recent work stoppages. It has already been announced that an offer will be presented at the beginning of the third round of negotiations on February 8th. Therefore, the warning strikes are “unnecessary, as they ultimately only come at the expense of our customers”.
Swiss Post can look back on years of strong growth, which was also due to the corona pandemic: people ordered far more online than before. Parcel volumes fell somewhat last year as the consequences of the pandemic eased off and people went shopping again. The economic downturn also made itself felt. On the other hand, the mail business, which had been weakening before, picked up due to an increase in advertising mail.
Energy costs and high inflation
The prospects of the logistician are still positive in times of booming online trade. However, higher costs for energy, for example, are causing the company problems. Deutsche Post emphasizes that it needs financial leeway for investments – investments that will secure current jobs in the long term. If personnel costs rose too much, this could slow down investments and cloud the future. Verdi, on the other hand, refers to the performance of the workforce in times of the pandemic and to the high inflation, which makes a sharp increase in wages necessary.
“The strikes are a clear signal from our members towards employers,” said Verdi Vice-President Andrea Kocsis. In the second round of collective bargaining last week, the employers made it clear that they were neither willing nor able to compensate for the employees’ real wage losses, said the trade unionist. “This is a provocation to which the workers are responding unequivocally with their strikes.” The group expects a record profit for 2022. “The company owes this success to the work of its employees,” says Kocsis. Against this background, too, the tariff demands are “necessary, fair and feasible”.