Deutsche Post agrees sweetener, union talks to resume in January

Deutsche Post is set to pay a EUR 400 bonus to 130,000 German employees that are subject to the collective bargaining agreement with the Ver.di union, it confirmed today. The one-time payment was described by the Post and the union as an “initial partial agreement” as the two sides seek a full long-term wage deal for Ver.di members.

The payments will be made in the January wage packet, assuming the payments are approved by the German Finance Ministry.

Deutsche Post said the sweetener should be “taken into consideration” when negotiations with Ver.di resume in Berlin on January 10.

The Post has also agreed a EUR 230 bonus for each of its 50,000 civil service employees, which is set to be paid out in February, although it said civil servants would not be receiving their performance-related bonus in 2012.

Ver.di said the “partial result” in its negotiations with Deutsche Post would help with cost of living, but that it would continue its demand for a 7% a year rise in wages for its members.

“The partial result includes a social component. Now it’s about enforcing a significant linear increase in remuneration,” said Ver.di deputy chairman Andrea Kocsis.

Partial retirement

Deutsche Post is attempting to find ways to cut its labour costs in the negotiations with Ver.di, and now wants to mirror an agreement made back in October for the ordinary members with a similar deal for civil servants regarding a new “partial retirement” system.

The deal reached with Ver.di for its ordinary members established a “Generations Pact” in which older staff will be allowed to work shorter hours during the latter stages of their careers at Deutsche Post, passing on their knowledge and experience to their colleagues while still being able to work up until the official retirement age of 67 without the strain of a full workload.

“Deutsche Post and Ver.di are now working on a similar agreement for civil servants,” said Deutsche Post today.