News

UNI affiliate ver.di have won the guarantee of job security and pay rises for thousands of workers after weeks of strikes in Deutsche Post-DHL. The agreement comes after four weeks of strike action in the German postal giant after DP-DHL took steps to move thousands of parcel workers into lower-paid jobs in subsidiary companies called DHL Delivery.

The agreement between ver.di and Deutsche Post includes layoff protection for 140,000 workers in Deutsche Post through 2019. For joint letter and parcel delivery workers, a prohibition on outsourcing extends through 2018. Wages in Deutsche Post will be increased by 2 percent in 2016 and by 1.7 percent in 2017.

While ver.di was unable to entirely reverse DP-DHL’s plans for DHL Delivery, those workers with at least two years’ service will be returned to Deutsche Post. The union is committed to organizing workers in the new companies and will seek a company-wide collective agreement.

UNI and its sister federation the International Transport Workers Federation organized a number of solidarity actions in support of ver.di throughout the dispute. Ver.di leadership confirmed that the messages of support were vital to the striking workers throughout.

UNI Head of Post & Logistics Stephen DeMatteo said of the resolution, “We’re proud of the ver.di members who stood up for their fellow workers during these last weeks and all the unions around the world who supported them. The outcome means a secure future for workers in Deutsche Post.”