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Belgian DHL workers say they want respect for all

Published: 9 November 2009
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 Belgian DHL workers took part in a press conference and protest today at Brussels Airport demanding that the company respect workers rights.The activity, part of the UNI ITF DHL Day of Action, was attended by around 40 DHL workers who say they want to see the DHL company respect workers rights wherever they operate in the world. Speakers at the rally and press conference included; Elmar Kallfelz, Chairperson of the Deutsche Post DHL European Works Council; Christina Tilling , from the European Transport Workers Federation (ETF); and Neil Anderson, Head Of Post & Logistics at UNI Global Union.



The speakers all voiced their concerns that there were many instances around the world where the DHL company was not respecting workers rights and where workers were either afraid to join the union or where the union was not being recognised. The DHL company was undergoing a major restructuring as it worked to deal with losses of volume from the recession and workers were concerned that staff cuts, cost cuts and changes to workers conditions had in many instances been carried out without proper dialogue with workers representatives.



The company management was using the words "respect & results" to describe how they want the company to operate, but the workers said if there was to be results then workers rights and union rights had to be respected. The campaign which is taking place throughout the world during the week 9-13 November is a campaign to demand proper social dialogue structures be set up globally and that local management respect the right of workers to join a union without fear of discrimination or for their jobs.



The campaign is also seeking that the company stop "Putting the Squeeze" on workers to chop out jobs and to cut costs so workers wages and conditions are seriously affected. This was particularly important to Belgian workers who had seen many jobs transferred to other locations and a large number of redundancies during the last 12 months.



The press conference and action from the DHL workers took place in the busy Brussels Airport Departure hall and received positive comments from passengers heading off to their planes.



For more information on the campaign, activities taking place during the action week, and to send a message of support for the workers to DHL, visit www.respect4workers.org