German union demands end to sub-contracted parcel delivery workers

The German postal and transport union, Verdi, yesterday launched a campaign to fight for betterworking conditions in the courier, express and parcels sector (CEP), including an end to widespread

Under the slogan “Fair delivery, not exploitation”, the union is urging leading parcel operatorsto operate delivery services with their own employees in the future and not via sub-contractors.This is the only way to stop the “exploitative” practices in the industry, including low wages andlong working hours, it claims.

According to Verdi, parcel operators including Hermes, DPD and GLS work exclusively withsubcontractors, and UPS up to 40%. The union has a protection agreement with Deutsche Postrequiring the company to transfer no more than 990 delivery districts to subcontractors. DHLExpress Germany, however, also works only with subcontractors, according to the union.

Andrea Kocsis, Verdi deputy chairwoman and head of its postal and logistics section, said: “Weare asking the companies to take responsibility. The delivery staff are the weakest link in thechain. Organising delivery via subcontractors and sub-subcontractors means that no acceptable wageis left over for the employees. But delivery is back-breaking work and needs to be rewarded in afair way.”

Verdi stressed that only strong integration of the delivery staff within the company will ensurecollective pay levels, regular working hours, employment and health protection and employeeparticipation. “We want the companies to create such working conditions for delivery workers thatenable people to work in this job with good pay and adequate working times as long as possible,”Kocsis added.

Verdi said it recognises the industry’s idea of launching a ‘fair CEP’ label as a positive movebut warns against misuse. “From Verdi’s point of view, there is only one quality label thatdeserves this name, and this is jobs secured by a labour agreement,” Kocsis said.

The union’s campaign follows critical media reporting about working conditions in the German CEPindustry last year.

Responding to heavy media criticism of working conditions at its 450 delivery sub-contractors,Hermes Germany said that it was trying to tackle the issue with diverse measures. These includednew contracts to ensure that sub-contractor couriers are paid by the hour, not on a piece-rate,with target hourly pay rates of €7 – 8.50, and sub-contractors not passing on deliveries tolower-paid “sub-sub-contractors”. In addition, it promised external audits of pay levels andworking conditions at sub-contractors last year.

Also last year, GLS Germany was accused of treating sub-contractor drivers like “slaves” in acontroversial RTL documentary based on months of undercover research by well-known Germanjournalist Günter Wallraff.

GSL CEO Rico Back and Germany managing director Klaus Conrad stressed that sub-contractors wereresponsible for the contractual conditions of their drivers. The company paid sub-contractors basedon the volume of parcels delivered and the method of payment and the level was based on theindividual contractual agreement between GLS and the transport company, they explained.