Following a German TV report on 15 January on Deutsche Post DHL’s treatment of its international workforce, the ITF and UNI global union have called on the company to clean up its act.
The multinational logistics giant’s behaviour was questioned by German national broadcaster ARD TV Das Erste’s respected Report programme. It highlighted the long running struggle for union rights in the company and dealt with serious allegations that Deutsche Post DHL is violating the rights of its workers outside Germany. The programme made particular mention of Turkey, where it is alleged that DHL may be actually breaking national law.
The unions are taking their complaints to the OECD and the German Government, claiming that the actions of the company in Turkey are in direct contradiction to the company’s stated policies and its commitments to the UN Global Compact and other international standards, including the OECD Guidelines on Multinational Enterprises.
In another move, Paddy Crumlin, ITF President, and Joe de Bruyn, UNI President, wrote to Frank Appel, CEO of Deutsche Post AG, on 17 January urging him to act.
They said: “DHL is guilty of a concerted punitive and unlawful campaign against Tumtis union members seeking to organise a union at DHL Supply Chain in Turkey, resulting in the dismissal of 23 union members from their jobs.
“We are particularly concerned by the emergence of fresh evidence that at this very moment workers at DHL in Samsun, Istanbul and Ankara are indeed being forced to join a newly formed union, Tasima Is, and are being threatened with dismissal. This represents nothing less than a further active effort by DHL to obstruct workers from joining a union of their own choice.
The letter urges the company to reinstate the union members and to begin meaningful dialogue aimed at Tumtis establishing union recognition and a Collective Bargaining Agreement at DHL Supply Chain in Turkey. It also pushes for dialogue towards establishing a Global Framework Agreement on workers rights’ across DHL’s global operations.
The German TV report can be seen with English subtitles here and in the original German here.
On 17 January the labour court in Istanbul decided two more cases in favour of workers sacked by DHL Turkey.
UNI and the ITF have long campaigned to hold DHL to its promises of fair treatment for all its workers. To find out more see www.respectatdhlturkey.org.
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