News

Deutsche Post-DHL, the German national post office and the world’s leading express and logistics firm, have announced plans which would decimate as many as 10,000 jobs in the German post by 2020. Workers on fixed-term contracts sorting and delivering parcels in Deutsche Post will be transferred to new subsidiary companies called DHL Delivery.

While their work would remain the same, workers in the new parcel service would lose their representation under the existing collective agreement in Deutsche Post AG and would have significantly lower pay. The plan also violates an agreement with the German union Verdi, which forbids Deutsche Post from such significant subcontracting arrangements.

Philip Jennings, UNI Global Union’s General Secretary, said, “This is a shot across the bow at all workers in Deutsche Post-DHL. We have long called on DP-DHL to respect the rights of their employees around the globe. Such a blatant attempt to skirt their responsibilities under the collective agreement and do away with 10,000 good jobs is intolerable.”

DP-DHL’s plan comes off the heels of an announced expected profit of €3 billion for fiscal year 2014. Despite the strong financial results, DP-DHL cites their “existing wage structure” as a reason for the changes.

Verdi’s deputy chairman, Andrea Kocsis, said in a statement, “The announcement is a clear erosion of existing contracts. This is the beginning of the end of social partnership.”