In view of the flood of parcels, Deutsche Post also wants to be able to deliver on Sundays. According to the unions, the Ministry of Labor Minister Heil also takes a clear position - and speaks of unreasonable requests "unreasonable". The argument does not end there.
Berlin (dpa) - The Federal Ministry of Labor rejects the approval of a Sunday delivery of parcels sought by Deutsche Post. A spokesman for Labor Minister Hubertus Heil (SPD) said on Wednesday at the request of the German press agency that the ministry did not endorse this.
"As the Berlin Administrative Court has already ruled in several urgent proceedings, there is no supply crisis that would make it urgently necessary to supply the population with parcels delivered on Sundays."
An increase in the number of parcels due to the Easter days, the contact restrictions and the closure of many sales shops is not a reason to intervene in the constitutionally guaranteed right to Sunday rest, the spokesman said. "It is also politically incomprehensible why the parcel delivery drivers, who were significantly burdened in the crisis, should be exposed to further impositions."
A spokeswoman for Federal Minister of Economics Peter Altmaier (CDU) said that discussions in the federal government are still ongoing. Retailers point out that while there was no supply crisis in Corona times, there was an increased volume of mail items - because small retailers tried to secure their existence through online sales. One has understanding for this concern.
A post spokesman had stressed that the company was not aiming for regular, nationwide Sunday delivery. However, one would like to use Sunday work in the current exceptional situation "selectively and after coordination with the local works councils" in order to react quickly to existing regionally limited bottlenecks. A uniform legal framework across the country would make sense even if only occasional Sunday work was used.
The background is a flood of packages because many stores are still closed in the fight against the spread of the corona virus. A spokesman for the post had said the amount of parcel was of a size that might require delivery on Sundays in the interests of customers.
Post's considerations for Sunday delivery had also met with skepticism among unions. Verdi made it clear that there was no need for nationwide exemptions. "Due to the existing contact restrictions in the corona pandemic, delivery times to customers are very high on weekdays," said a spokesman for the Verdi federal executive board. Should it be necessary to organize delivery on a regional basis for health protection on Sunday, this must be coordinated with the local works councils beforehand.
The DPVKOM communications union also sees Sunday delivery as "extremely skeptical". In Bavaria, an application by the company to be allowed to deliver on Sundays has already been granted, said DPVKOM federal chairwoman, Christina Dahlhaus. Swiss Post has lured employees with attractive contributions to Sunday work. Verdi and DPVKOM see the lack of staff as the reason for the Sunday delivery. With the existing staff, the current shipment quantities "apparently could not be delivered in a six-day week," said Dahlhaus.