Postal workers across Germany hold one-day strike over wage demands

Postal workers at German mail service Deutsche Post went on strike on Tuesday to underline their demands for higher wages in ongoing collective bargaining strikes, according to the verdi trade union.

Postal employees in major cities and larger towns all across Germany were called by the union to join the day-long strikes on Tuesday, according to verdi.

The trade union expected the labour action to result in delivery cancellations and delays in the shipment of parcels and letters.

Verdi’s vice president, Andrea Kocsis, justified the move by stating that the second round of collective bargaining negotiations with Deutsche Post last week had not produced any tangible results.

Verdi is insisting on a pay rise of 7% and additional holiday days. The fact that Deutsche Post management has rejected those demands as unaffordable was “unacceptable,” according to Kocsis.

“Significant wage increases for employees are the only way to cope with the high cost of living,” she said. “We are serious and we are prepared to fight for our demands.”

Deutsche Post has argued there is “very little” room for wage increases because letter volumes are shrinking in the digital age and there is a great need for investment.

About 170,000 employees at Deutsche Post are covered under the contract. The postal carrier is part of the larger Bonn-based DHL global logistics group.

At the beginning of the year, the postal service raised the cost of sending letters by an average of 10.5%. The postage for a standard letter within the country has risen from €0.85 to €0.95 ($0.88 to $0.99).

The regulator which oversees the postal system, Germany’s Federal Network Agency, had allowed the company to increase postage but limited the price hikes to less than Deutsche Post management had requested.