They haul our online orders every day. The parcel couriers were the focus of the ministerial meeting. Citizens’ money, which is currently being hotly discussed, was also an issue.
From the point of view of the labor and social affairs ministers of the federal states, the working conditions for parcel deliverers urgently need to improve, for example by banning work contracts. “These people must be protected,” said Berlin’s Labor Senator Cansel Kiziltepe (SPD) at the end of the 100th Labor and Social Ministers’ Conference (ASMK), of which she was chairwoman.
In total, the ministers made more than 40 decisions. The focus was on a key proposal to attract and secure skilled workers, said Kiziltepe. The ASMK also committed to the EU goal of ending homelessness by 2030.
A lot of “really very precarious work” is carried out in parcel services, with Eastern European contract workers being particularly affected, said North Rhine-Westphalia’s Labor Minister Karl-Josef Laumann.
According to the CDU politician, the majority of the ASMK passed a motion according to which there must be a “sensible” recording of working hours. This is intended to help monitor compliance with the minimum wage. The ministers also advocated that there should be a hiring requirement in the parcel industry. “This means that, from our point of view, the contracts for work in this area should no longer be valid.” Laumann called on the industry to take the decision seriously. “You can also prevent things by simply changing your behavior.”
Citizens’ money should not be touched
The labor and social ministers are sticking to the increase in citizens’ benefits, said Hamburg’s Labor Senator Melanie Schlotzhauer (SPD). But that doesn’t mean that the focus is solely on the increase: we very much welcome the efforts made as part of the “Job Turbo”, which is intended to get hundreds of thousands of refugees into work more quickly. The best way to avoid receiving social benefits is to work. Laumann rated the decision on citizens’ money as well balanced, also in view of the current budget crisis with savings requirements.
Federal Labor Minister Hubertus Heil (SPD) had also assured postal and parcel deliverers that they wanted to implement better working conditions in the industry.
Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
