DP-DHL have announced plans to move up to 10,000 parcel workers out of Deutsche Post and into new shell companies called DHL Delivery. While the move won’t change their work, employees will lose as much as €3,500 per year and all access to the existing collective agreement and existing works councils in Deutsche Post.
Ver.di, the union representing workers in Deutsche Post-DHL are fighting back. In April and May, thousands of ver.di members have gone on strike to protest the plans, which are in blatant disregard of existing agreements with the union.
ITF general secretary Steve Cotton commented: “Today Frankfurt will witness a fantastic piece of trade union activism as thousands of workers hold DP-DHL to account, supported by their colleagues around the world (see http://goo.gl/fJQ8hS)
“DP-DHL has let down its workers, its shareholders and the people of Germany. It is undercutting, undermining and underperforming. It has tried to play off its own personnel against each other and to sidestep and avoid not just its own responsibilities but also its own claimed values.”
A ver.di spokesperson commented: “With the spin-off of part of the delivery operation, Deutsche Post is smashing its highly efficient delivery network. This is not the right step into the future mail and parcel market.”
Philip Jennings, the general secretary of UNI Global Union, which represents postal workers around the world, said “The shareholders have a massive opportunity to convince the company to do the right thing and withdraw these draconian measures that penalise DP-DHL’s parcel workers. UNI and the ITF back ver.di all the way. We will not rest until this decision is reversed.”
UNI and ITF will join ver.di members on strike in protesting at DP-DHL’s annual general meeting in Frankfurt today, demanding the company honours its commitment to social partnership following what amounts to an attack on its German workforce.
ENDS
For more details please contact:
Sam Dawson, ITF press and editorial manager. Tel: +44 (0)20 7940 9260. Email: dawson_sam@itf.org.uk
Richard Elliott, UNI Global Union director of communications
Tel: +41 22 365 21 30. Email: richard.elliott@uniglobalunion.org
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