News

Unions with members in DHL and other logistics companies in the Asia Pacific region, met in the Philippines, at Manila, to plan how they would work together to try and improve conditions for DHL workers in the region. One of the first steps they have identified is to get more union members to try and build strength with the company to get DHL to better recognise workers concerns. One of the main issues they dealt with was Health & Safety for logistics workers in particular long hours of work, and strain injuries to backs, shoulders etc.



The unions also expressed their horror at the recent unfortunate death of the two DHL workers in Afghanistan, David Giles and Jason Bresler. They sent their sincere condolences to the workers families and asked that the company work with unions to try and make sure DHL workers were able to work in safe and secure conditions.



The workers also expressed their serious concern that DHL is not supportive of unions and many unions reported that in this region workers are afraid to join unions because of fear they will lose their job. The unions all pledged to work together to try and improve their membership and thus build strength and put pressure on the company to properly recognise unions and to stop the attitude of fear about union membership.



The meeting heard presentations from Rolf Buttner, UNI Post & Logistics World President and a former member of the Deutsche Post World Net Supervisory Board (the owners of DHL) about how UNI was supporting their organising efforts and efforts to ensure DHL respect union rights and engage in proper dialogue with workers representatives anywhere in the world. He said UNI was building a campaign to build union activities in DHL and to help workers to gain better working conditions in this company and in the logistics industry generally.



The meeting heard reports from many countries in the region and about the union activities in this company and other logistics companies. They were heartened to know that there were unions being set up in many Asian countries and that some, such as Singapore, already have collective contracts and that in Mongolia there was 100% of workers in DHL Mongolia who were union members.



The seminar which was held with the support of the German Foundation, FES, concluded with all the unions present agreeing to be active members of the UNI DHL Forum and to work together to improve the unionisation of the company in the Asia Pacific region.

The DHL and Logistics Workshop participants





Vietnam postal workers union president speaking at the workshop



President of Trade Union Committee of DHL Mongolia addresses participants