In the collective bargaining dispute at Deutsche Post, Verdi is again going on warning strikes. On Thursday, the union called for walkouts nationwide to increase pressure and get management to back down.
The employee side is demanding 15 percent more wages for the approximately 160,000 employees in the postal sector
After initial feedback from the locations, a Verdi spokesman estimated participation in the walkout as high. “The mood is good,” he said.
A spokesman for the Post reacted with incomprehension to the renewed work stoppages. It had already been announced that an offer would be made 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”.
Years of strong growth – new challenges
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 because the consequences of the pandemic weakened 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. The prospects of the logistician are still positive in times of booming online trade. However, higher costs for energy, for example, are causing problems for the company.
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 necessitates a sharp increase in wages. “The strikes are a clear signal from our members towards employers,” said Verdi Vice-President Andrea Kocsis.
Verdi: “It’s a provocation”
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”.
The warning strikes are initially only planned for one day, i.e. until midnight. However, an extension is possible. “It may well be that more warning strikes will follow in the next few days,” said Thomas Großstück from Verdi NRW.
