If you are waiting for a package or a letter, you should perhaps be patient: there are warning strikes again at Swiss Post, which is likely to have a major impact on work in the delivery centers.
In the collective bargaining dispute at Deutsche Post, Verdi is again going on warning strikes. On Thursday, the union called for walkouts nationwide to increase pressure and get management to back down.
The employee side is demanding 15 percent more wages for the around 160,000 employees in the Post & Parcel Germany sector. It’s way too much for the company. There had already been three-day warning strikes last week, in which around 30,000 employees took part, according to Verdi. As a result, a million parcels and three million letters were lost at times.
After initial feedback from the locations, a Verdi spokesman estimated participation in the walkout as high. “The mood is good,” he said.
A spokesman for the Post reacted with incomprehension to the renewed work stoppages. It had already been announced that an offer would be made at the beginning of the third round of negotiations on February 8th. Therefore, the warning strikes are “unnecessary, because they are ultimately only at the expense of our customers”.
Years of strong growth – new challenges
Swiss Post can look back on years of strong growth, which was also due to the corona pandemic: people ordered far more online than before. Parcel volumes fell somewhat last year as the consequences of the pandemic eased off and people went shopping again. The economic downturn also made itself felt. On the other hand, the mail business, which had been weakening before, picked up due to an increase in advertising mail. The prospects of the logistician are still positive in times of booming online trade. However, higher costs for energy, for example, are causing the company problems.
Deutsche Post emphasizes that it needs financial leeway for investments – investments that will secure current jobs in the long term. If personnel costs rose too much, this could slow down investments and cloud the future.
Verdi, on the other hand, refers to the performance of the workforce in times of the pandemic and to the high inflation, which necessitates a sharp increase in wages. “The strikes are a clear signal from our members towards employers,” said Verdi Vice-President Andrea Kocsis.
Verdi: “It’s a provocation”
In the second round of collective bargaining last week, the employers made it clear that they were neither willing nor able to compensate for the employees’ real wage losses, said the trade unionist. “This is a provocation to which the workers are responding unequivocally with their strikes.” The group expects a record profit for 2022. “The company owes this success to the work of its employees,” says Kocsis. Against this background, too, the tariff demands are “necessary, fair and feasible”.
The warning strikes are initially only planned for one day, i.e. until midnight. However, an extension is possible. “It may well be that more warning strikes will follow in the next few days,” said Thomas Großstück from Verdi NRW.
Source: Stern
Jane Stock is a technology author, who has written for 24 Hours World. She writes about the latest in technology news and trends, and is always on the lookout for new and innovative ways to improve his audience’s experience.
