Workers have voted for indefinite strikes.
Deutsche Post and Verdi have now come closer in collective bargaining.
Update from Saturday, March 11, 4:42 p.m .:
Deutsche Post and the Verdi union have agreed on a new collective agreement for the 160,000 employees.
Deutsche Post announced this on Saturday.
The agreement avoided protracted strikes.
Negotiations began on Friday afternoon.
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Further strikes were averted: an agreement was reached in the wage dispute between Deutsche Post and Verdi.
© Jens Büttner/dpa
Update from Thursday, March 9, 9:50 p.m
.: Some customers felt what a strike at the post office meant at the beginning of February.
Some people waited longer for letters and packages.
Do consumers now have to prepare for significant delays again?
After all, Christmas is not just around the corner and Easter is still a long way off.
If you want to be on the safe side, you should send letters or parcels away in good time or look for an alternative.
Yet it is not so far.
At Deutsche Post, the majority of postmen and parcel carriers have spoken out in favor of an indefinite strike, but collective bargaining between employers and the union will continue on Friday.
Update from Thursday, March 9, 3:57 p.m .:
After voting indefinitely in a ballot, Deutsche Post customers are threatened with a long wait for letters and packages.
But it's not that far yet.
Because with the approval, postmen and parcel carriers also voted for further negotiations.
If these fail, however, things could get serious.
Many people have had to wait up to three days for shipments during the warning strikes of the past few weeks.
In the case of an indefinite strike, this period of time is likely to be considerably longer.
Consumers can get a foretaste of this when they look at the last indefinite strike eight years ago.
At that time such a labor dispute lasted four weeks.
Because a large number of employees went on strike, Deutsche Post had to struggle with a shortage of staff.
At that time, the company had to rent external warehouses and recruit external workers.
Update from Thursday, March 9th, 2:15 p.m .:
The result of the ballot is clear: The
Verdi members vote for an indefinite strike at Deutsche Post.
85.9 percent of those surveyed rejected the postal tariff offer and voted for an indefinite strike, as Verdi announced on Thursday.
Nevertheless, the union wants to return to the negotiating table.
Verdi had declared the talks failed in February and broke them off.
With the resumption one comes to the request of the German Post, said the Verdi negotiator Andrea Kocsis.
Deutsche Post: Verdi decision expected – is a new strike imminent?
First report from Thursday, March 9th, 9.42 a.m.:
Frankfurt – For Deutsche Post DHL it is a day with two sides.
On Thursday morning (March 9th) the announcement of a new record result was on the agenda.
Just a few hours later, however, the mood of company boss Frank Appel could change fundamentally - and a number of mailboxes would remain empty as a result.
Frankfurt – For Deutsche Post DHL it is a day with two sides.
On Thursday morning (March 9th) the announcement of a new record result was on the agenda.
Just a few hours later, however, the mood of company boss Frank Appel could change fundamentally - and a number of mailboxes would remain empty as a result.
The Verdi union wants to announce the result of its ballot.
There could be an indefinite strike if three quarters of the DHL workers surveyed have rejected their employer's collective bargaining offer.
It would not be the first time in 2023 that there has been a strike.
In February, Deutsche Post employees stopped working.
An overview of the current situation.
Deutsche Post: That's why a strike is now threatening
A pay increase of 15 percent in a one-year contract: Verdi wanted to achieve this in collective bargaining.
The justification referred, among other things, to the high inflation.
Deutsche Post rejected the claim as economically unacceptable.
She offered a two-year contract that provides for a wage increase in two stages from 2024.
According to their calculations, the pay of employees would improve by an average of 11.5 percent.
Separately, starting this year, employees are to gradually receive 3,000 euros net, which will flow as an inflation compensation premium.
Strike at Deutsche Post: What would the consequences be for consumers?
During the most recent warning strikes in January and February, millions of letters and packages were left lying around.
In relation to the total amounts, however, these were only small percentages.
Some recipients were unlucky: they had to wait two or three days.
However, other Post customers did not even notice the consequences of the warning strike.
In the event of a strike, that would in all likelihood be different: there could be considerable delays.
According to Verdi, more than 100,000 of the 200,000 employees in the core business are Verdi members.
This means that every second employee would be entitled to go on strike.
In fact, participation is likely to fluctuate and differ from region to region.
How badly would an indefinite strike affect Deutsche Post?
Of course, not only the customers would feel the consequences.
Deutsche Post would have to pay extra to somehow keep the flow of shipments going.
In short: Large quantities of parcels and letters are likely to pile up in the locations.
An expensive thing.
A look back: During the strike in 2015, Swiss Post estimated the costs at 100 million euros.
This year was the last indefinite strike at the post office after the negotiations had been broken off.
The last indefinite strike at Deutsche Post was a long time ago
There were always warning strikes.
This type of work stoppage is temporary and localized.
The last indefinite strike at Deutsche Post was a few years ago.
In 2015, the spin-off of low-paying parcel subsidiaries caused resentment.
Strike is actually a rarity at DHL - and a serious step that Verdi would now take.
At that time, it took four weeks for the indefinite strike to end.
Indefinite strike threatened at Deutsche Post: How long would that last?
How long a possible strike in 2023 could last is unclear.
Both sides emphasize that the other has to move.
It will probably take some time before the willingness to compromise matures.
Public transport was also recently at a standstill.
A nationwide strike caused trouble.
Opinions on the tariff requirements differed.
Record year for Deutsche Post: previous year's result exceeded by almost six percent
The Verdi union is also making its demands with a view to the good group result.
Deutsche Post had another record year.
Thanks to the foreign business, the operating earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) of EUR 8.4 billion forecast by the management were achieved last year, exceeding the previous year's result by almost six percent, as the company announced on Thursday (March 9).
In 2022, Swiss Post benefited above all from the high air and sea freight rates, and online trade, which was booming due to the pandemic, also boosted the logistics group's overland business.
This year, the momentum is likely to weaken somewhat - how much does the management depend on the overall economic development.
In the medium term, however, the Dax group wants to get back to the record level of 2022.
(mbr with dpa)
List of rubrics: © Jens Büttner/dpa
