If you are sending a letter or package to Germany or expecting it from there, you should expect delivery delays. Because there have been strikes at Deutsche Post since Thursday afternoon – and that is now affecting delivery.
Depending on the end of the strike activities on site, it is possible that letters and parcels can only be delivered with a few days delay in the first half of next week, Deutsche Post announced in Bonn on Friday.
Millions of shipments affected
In the ongoing collective bargaining dispute, Verdi had called for strikes in all letter and parcel centers from Thursday afternoon and all through Friday. About 2.3 million packages across the country were affected by the warning strikes on Friday, Deutsche Post reported. This corresponds to about one third of the average daily amount. About 13 million letters have also been affected, which corresponds to about a quarter of the average daily volume.
“In all, some 16,700 workers have so far heeded the strike call, representing about a third of the workers currently on duty,” a spokesman for the post said. The Verdi union has set the number of participants in warning strikes since Thursday evening at 15,000. Deutsche Post operates 82 letter centres, 38 parcel centers and two international mail centers in Germany. All parcel centers and almost all letter centers have been on strike all day since Thursday evening, says a Verdi spokesperson. There are also nationwide warning strikes in postal and parcel delivery.
No agreement in collective agreement
Verdi had called on its members to strike after the union saw no progress in the second round of negotiations for some 160,000 workers. The union is demanding 15 percent more money for a one-year contract. The Post board rejects the requirement as unrealistic. The collective bargaining will continue on 8 and 9 February. Swiss Post has announced that it will subsequently make an offer.
The majority of Verdi members at Post are on low incomes and cannot cope with the real wage loss, Verdi negotiator Andrea Kocsis said Thursday. About 140,000 of the 160,000 employees earned between 2108 and 3090 euros per month. They are particularly hard hit by high inflation, as they have to spend a large part of their income on food and energy. The last rate increase in January 2022 was only two percent. Verdi therefore considers the requirements to be “necessary, fair and feasible”.
“At the customer’s expense”
De Post expressed incomprehension about the warning strikes: “Since we have already announced that we will make a bid in the third round, we believe that warning strikes are unnecessary, because they will ultimately only be at the expense of our customers,” said a spokesman. .
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
