Minister of Labor - Busy times for parcel carriers: Heil wants better conditions
Federal Minister of Labor Hubertus Heil (SPD) has assured postal and parcel delivery workers that he wants to implement better working conditions in the industry in the middle of the peak Christmas season. Heil visited one of the logistics group DHL's largest parcel centers in Germany on Wednesday in Ludwigsfelde, Brandenburg. Around 650,000 shipments are processed there every day.
"Even at Christmas time you can't be romantic, it's a highly competitive market," said Minister Heil. The increased competition in the sector should not be at the expense of employees and should not lead to poor working and wage conditions.
The DHL parcel center, where around 650 employees from around 70 nations work, is a hive of activity in the run-up to Christmas. Shipments are sorted on several floors using conveyor belts and chutes for the delivery areas in Berlin and Brandenburg.
The CEO of the DHL Group, Tobias Meyer, said in Ludwigsfelde: "We are now experiencing peak loads in the parcel centers." Around 10,000 additional employees in Germany would be recruited for the Christmas business.
In response to complaints from citizens about excessively long delivery times and missing parcels, the minister said: "Despite all the impatience, a little more composure and understanding for the people who work hard in such an industry can also be expected in a society based on solidarity."
Heil said: "For us as customers and citizens, everything has become very convenient, we can order it from our sofa and have it delivered to our home." However, hard-working delivery staff have to carry the parcels in all weathers.
In addition, the volume of parcels has risen by 70 percent in the past four years. "Around 4.5 billion parcels are delivered in Germany every year," said Heil. "This is not done by flying drones, but by delivery staff who work hard and also carry heavy parcels up to the fifth floor."
The German government wants to ensure fair and healthy working conditions, said Heil, referring to its planned reform of the Postal Act. According to this, heavy parcels weighing ten kilos or more should be labeled in the future so that parcel carriers do not misjudge when unloading and get back problems if the load is too heavy. The Verdi trade union had campaigned for a similar rule. For consignments weighing 20 kilos or more, it must be clear that a parcel does not have to be carried to the fifth floor by one person alone, Heil said.
"We have to make sure that people can stay healthy at work." Heil also wants to better regulate market access for companies that deliver parcels. If there is a lack of occupational health and safety, for example, companies could face losing their parcel delivery license.
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Source: www.stern.de
