German postal union Verdi is threatening strike action at Deutsche Post on Tuesday (April 1) afternegotiations on Friday failed to lead to an agreement. But the German postal operator says the
threat is “groundless”.Twelve hours of talks between the two sides over a new pay and working conditions agreementfor 130,000 employees ended without agreement on March 28. The next round of talks is scheduled forApril 9. Under the existing deal that expires on March 31, Deutsche Post had committed itself to nocompulsory redundancies and to offering staff employment elsewhere within the group in the case ofjob reductions at any business.
Deutsche Post said it had made a “constructive” offer to extend this “employment pact” bythree months to June 30 and not to extend the working hours of staff with civil servant status to41 hours a week even though it would be entitled to do from April 1 onwards.
Deutsche Post’s chief negotiator, Ralf Stemmer, said: “Deutsche Post remains completely openfor talks and is doing everything to achieve a peaceful solution to the pay dispute. Our customerswould have no understanding if Verdi takes completely groundless strike action.”
But Verdi said it wanted to negotiate the issues of the employment pact and working hoursnow, and not over the next three months. It is demanding that the commitment to no compulsoryredundancies be extended by three more years until June 2011.
Verdi deputy chairwoman Andrea Kocsis declared: “Nothing seems to move at the negotiatingtable without pressure. Employees need secure jobs and will demonstrate for these over the next fewdays.”
