Deutsche Post plans major parcel restructuring in Germany
Deutsche Post is reportedly planning to merge its parcel delivery operations in Germany into the mail business in one of its largest restructuring moves for a decade. At the same time, unions are threatening strike action over plans to lengthen working times next year.
According to a report in German newspaper Die Welt, there would be only one delivery organization and one administration for both the mail and parcel businesses. At present, there are separate delivery organizations for parcels and mail in urban areas, while rural deliveries are bundled into one service. The 83 mail sorting centres and 33 parcel sorting centres that are no longer fully utilised could also be combined into one structure.
Unions Verdi and DPV said they feared a new round of job cuts among tens of thousands of staff affected by the move. Deutsche Post’s domestic parcel business is reportedly loss-making due to high operational costs of the parcel sorting centres and pay levels above those of competitors.
Meanwhile, Verdi has warned it is ready to take strike action over separate plans to lengthen the working week of 60,000 German postal workers with civil servant status from 38.5 to 41 hours in January 2007.
At present, the civil servants and 130,000 postal employees all work 38.5 hours, but the regulation restricting the working hours of the civil servants is due to expire on December 31, 2006.
Deutsche Post head of personnel Walter Scheurle told Reuters in an interview that the longer hours for civil servants were justified by higher costs but said the company was ready to find a compromise with Verdi.
