Postal delays expected around Germany as workers go on strike
Anyone wanting to send letters and parcels at the start of the week in Germany should be prepared for delays, as Deutsche Post workers will walk out again on Monday and Tuesday.
The Verdi union has announced further warning strikes ahead of more wage negotiations at Deutsche Post on Wednesday and Thursday this week. Work will come to a halt across Germany affecting all divisions, including the letter and parcel centres and the delivery of mail, Verdi announced in Berlin on Sunday.
The walkouts will be accompanied by rallies in ten cities over the two days, the union said, with employees in Berlin, Rostock, Munich, Dortmund, Hamburg and Frankfurt am Main planning to take to the streets.
The trade union Verdi wants to use the strikes to increase the pressure on the ongoing wage dispute at Deutsche Post.
The union is demanding a 15 percent increase in salaries for the approximately 160,000 employees, as well as an increase in training allowances.
READ ALSO: UPDATE: German postal workers to continue strike on Friday
The union has said that demand is justified, among other things, by high inflation. "Our members are taking to the streets because they simply cannot afford a loss of purchasing power," said Andrea Kocsis, Verdi deputy chairwoman and negotiator.
"This is once again a crystal-clear signal to the employers: the employees are prepared to fight for their demands and now expect a round of negotiations that ends with a substantial pay increase," Kocsis told DPA.
She added that it was incomprehensible why such a successful company was not prepared to compensate for the real wage losses suffered by employees as a result of inflation, especially as Deutsche Post is projected to have made record profits for 2022.
The wage dispute already led to several days of strikes at the end of January and, as a result, 20 percent of parcels and nine percent of letters were not delivered on one day due to the walkouts. According to Verdi, several tens of thousands of employees took part in the strikes at that time.
READ ALSO: Why Germany could soon see widespread public sector strikes
Deutsche Post has reacted with surprise to the renewed wave of industrial action as, according to a company spokesman, the group had already announced an offer for the next round of wage negotiations on Wednesday and Thursday. She, therefore, labelled the new warning strikes were "excessive" and a "detriment" to customers.
Vocabulary
Strike - (der) Streik
To strike - streiken
Negotiation - (die) Verhandlung
Record profit (der) Rekordgewinn
We’re aiming to help our readers improve their German by translating vocabulary from some of our news stories. Did you find this article useful? Let us know.
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The Verdi union has announced further warning strikes ahead of more wage negotiations at Deutsche Post on Wednesday and Thursday this week. Work will come to a halt across Germany affecting all divisions, including the letter and parcel centres and the delivery of mail, Verdi announced in Berlin on Sunday.
The walkouts will be accompanied by rallies in ten cities over the two days, the union said, with employees in Berlin, Rostock, Munich, Dortmund, Hamburg and Frankfurt am Main planning to take to the streets.
The trade union Verdi wants to use the strikes to increase the pressure on the ongoing wage dispute at Deutsche Post.
The union is demanding a 15 percent increase in salaries for the approximately 160,000 employees, as well as an increase in training allowances.
READ ALSO: UPDATE: German postal workers to continue strike on Friday
The union has said that demand is justified, among other things, by high inflation. "Our members are taking to the streets because they simply cannot afford a loss of purchasing power," said Andrea Kocsis, Verdi deputy chairwoman and negotiator.
"This is once again a crystal-clear signal to the employers: the employees are prepared to fight for their demands and now expect a round of negotiations that ends with a substantial pay increase," Kocsis told DPA.
She added that it was incomprehensible why such a successful company was not prepared to compensate for the real wage losses suffered by employees as a result of inflation, especially as Deutsche Post is projected to have made record profits for 2022.
The wage dispute already led to several days of strikes at the end of January and, as a result, 20 percent of parcels and nine percent of letters were not delivered on one day due to the walkouts. According to Verdi, several tens of thousands of employees took part in the strikes at that time.
READ ALSO: Why Germany could soon see widespread public sector strikes
Deutsche Post has reacted with surprise to the renewed wave of industrial action as, according to a company spokesman, the group had already announced an offer for the next round of wage negotiations on Wednesday and Thursday. She, therefore, labelled the new warning strikes were "excessive" and a "detriment" to customers.
Vocabulary
Strike - (der) Streik
To strike - streiken
Negotiation - (die) Verhandlung
Record profit (der) Rekordgewinn
We’re aiming to help our readers improve their German by translating vocabulary from some of our news stories. Did you find this article useful? Let us know.
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