Major strike at Post and DHL: Deliveries in danger!

In Braunschweig and the region there was a warning strike at the post office and DHL on January 8th, 2025. Postal employees in Saxony-Anhalt and parts of Lower Saxony stopped work for 24 hours. Among those affected is the DHL parcel and letter center in Osterweddingen, Börde district, Saxony-Anhalt. Tens of thousands of letters and parcels are expected to be delivered late in Braunschweig, Wolfsburg and the Harz Mountains. In the current collective bargaining agreement with Deutsche Post, the DPV union (DPVKOM) is demanding a wage increase of 8 percent or at least 350 euros more per month, as well as a term of twelve months. Around 170,000 postal employees are expected to benefit from these demands.

The union argues that delivery workers and parcel center workers deserve higher pay because of the physically demanding work. This situation is accompanied by the upcoming collective bargaining negotiations with another union, Verdi. This union is demanding a wage increase of 7 percent and additional vacation days. In a survey of 45,000 Verdi members, 67 percent said they were ready for a strike. The sickness rate among postal employees is currently around 10 percent, which further exacerbates the problem.

Background of the demands

Both unions are aiming for a term of the new collective agreement of 12 months, as the old contract was terminated at the end of 2024. In recent years, the number of layoffs at the post office has increased, leading to an increase in vacancies. In addition, there were average wage increases of 11.5 percent in the previous collective bargaining round. However, the postal company is faced with falling profits in the delivery business. An increase in postage for standard letters from 85 cents to 95 cents was approved, while DHL predicts a decline in pre-tax profit from 6.6 billion euros to 5.8 billion euros.

For more information on the demands and the emerging clash between the unions and the postal company, see reports from NDR and World.