Some 30,000 striking Deutsche Post employees will return to work tomorrow (July 7) ending a bitter one-month strike after a compromise deal was agreed yesterday between the German postal operator and postal services union Verdi.
The two sides hammered out a wide-ranging agreement in three days of talks to end the strike, which started on June 8 over the issue of lower-paid parcel delivery jobs as well as over pay levels and working conditions.
Under the deal, running 32 months until January 31, 2018, the 140,000 employees of parent company Deutsche Post AG will receive a one-off payment of €400 this year, followed by a 2% rise on October 1, 2016, and a further 1.7% on October 1, 2017. The standard working week remains unchanged at 38.5 hours. The guaranteed protection against work-related redundancies and contractual changes will be extended by four years from December 31 this year until the end of 2019.
However, the 49 regional DHL Delivery subsidiary companies, which currently employ some 6,000 staff at lower collective wage levels, will remain in operation. But Deutsche Post agreed that 7,600 parcel delivery staff will remain its employees, instead of being transferred to the Delivery subsidiaries, and also guaranteed that the combined delivery of mail and parcels will remain within the parent company until December 31, 2018.
Melanie Kreis, board member for human resources, said: “We were able to agree on an overall package that offers our workers security and perspectives, while at the same time enabling future growth. Both sides went a long way towards each other and found a good compromise.”
CEO Frank Appel commented: “This is a good day for Deutsche Post, its customers and its staff.” Jürgen Gerdes, head of Post-eCommerce-Parcel division, added: “A long and hard conflict is over. I call on all staff to work together and show our customers that we are still a powerful team and remain the Post for Germany.”
Verdi’s deputy chairwoman Andrea Kocsis said: “We’re very satisfied with the agreement. It reflects the expectations of employees for security to a high degree. This wouldn’t have been possible without the commitment of the strikers.”
Although Verdi failed in its aim of forcing the company to scrap the regional parcel delivery companies, Kocsis stressed the union has secured the right for the remaining parcel delivery staff to remain with the parent company. Moreover, temporary staff who have worked more than 24 months continuously for the company will gain unlimited contracts.
During the four-week strike Deutsche Post managed to deliver about 80% of letters and parcels within Germany normally, including through controversial measures such as taking on temporary workers and making deliveries on Sundays to keep the backlog as low as possible. Some e-commerce customers warned about delays, additional costs and lost revenues due to the strike.
The company expects to work through the remaining backlog and return to normal operations within the next few days.
