Postal strike hits 10% of German deliveries, further strikes planned

Delivery services across Germany were hit by a limited strike by some 77,000 postal workers that resulted in 10% of letters and parcels not reaching their destinations as scheduled, Deutsche Post reported on Friday.

It said that deliveries would be delayed into Saturday. Delayed mail would be delivered over coming days, the DHL subsidiary said.

Trade union verdi has repeatedly called out its members on limited strikes over recent weeks in support of a pay demand well in excess of what Deutsche Post is offering.

On Wednesday, the strike led to a quarter of all parcels not being delivered on schedule. Further strikes are planned for Saturday.

Workers were showing the company that they were expecting considerably more than what was on offer by means of this expanded limited strike action, verdi chief negotiator Andrea Kocsis said.

She said the union, Germany’s second largest with some 1.9 million members, expected an improved offer from Deutsche Post in the fourth round of talks scheduled for next week.

Verdi is demanding a rise of 7% over a new 12-month contract for 170,000 postal and logistics workers at Deutsche Post. It is also calling for additional days of paid leave to compensate for increased workload.

Deutsche Post is offering an initial 1.8% followed by a further 2% over a 27-month contract.

Talks between the two sides are set to go into their fourth round on Monday. Verdi has called repeated temporary strikes over recent weeks, with resultant delays to deliveries.

Deutsche Post maintains that large pay rises are not feasible in the face of high investment costs and fewer letters for delivery as digitalization replaces physical mail.