Indefinite strike at Deutsche Post
June 8, 2015
Verdi deputy chief Andrea Kocsis said on Monday Deutsche Post had not moved a millimeter towards a solution in the pay dispute during six rounds of negotiations and had ignored an offer from the union. "We need to now massively increase the pressure," Kocsis said.
This is the latest in a wave of strikes that have hit Europe's largest economy in recent months.
The main bone of contention between Verdi and Deutsche Post's management is the company's plan to create thousands more staff positions in separate entities that would pay less than the wages agreed by current collective bargaining agreements.
More disruptions
The labor dispute affects around 140,000 employees and centers around the establishment of 49 regional companies for parcel delivery, where around 6,000 workers risk a pay cut as they will no longer be paid according to Deutsche Post's pay scale.
Verdi wants wages to remain under Deutsche Post's remit. Millions of letters and packages are expected to arrive late in the coming days. A previous strike in April (see embedded video) caused widespread disruption.
sri/hg (dpa, AFP)