Postal Act reform - criticism from Verdi, praise from the SPD
While the planned reform of the outdated Postal Act has been criticized by the Verdi trade union, the SPD parliamentary group has come out in support of the plan. It is good that letters will still have to be delivered on all six working days of the week in future and that Mondays will not be abolished, said Sebastian Roloff, member of parliament, to the German Press Agency on Sunday. As the SPD parliamentary group's rapporteur for the Postal Act, he will play a central role in the upcoming parliamentary negotiations. The Federal Ministry of Economics published its reform proposal on Friday.
The last time the regulations were immediately revised was at the end of the 1990s. Since then, demand has changed completely: Parcel consignments, which were of secondary importance back then, have become an important part of many citizens' everyday lives in times of booming online commerce, while letters have rapidly lost their significance. Back then, letters were a massively used means of communication; today, people mainly use emails or chats.
Post is to be given more time for letters
The reform proposal takes this development into account by significantly reducing the time pressure on the postal service. Up to now, at least 80 percent of letters posted today must be received on the next working day; in future, this obligation will only apply on the third working day after posting, by which time 95 percent must be received by the addressee. This will enable the Bonn-based company to reduce costs and stop its night flights, which are still used to transport letters. Social Democrat Roloff thinks the change in delivery times is a good thing. "This will reduce the logistics company's CO2 emissions, which is in the interests of climate protection."
The Verdi trade union, on the other hand, is ringing alarm bells - it fears that Swiss Post will noticeably cut jobs due to the reduced time pressure. Verdi Vice President Andrea Kocsis spoke at the weekend of a "massive threat" to jobs covered by collective agreements. She said that the planned change in working hours was firmly rejected. "We urgently call on the federal government and the Bundestag to amend the law."
Social Democrat Roloff, on the other hand, does not believe that the amended duration requirements will lead to a loss of jobs. Although he sees slight weaknesses in the proposed legislation, overall he rates the document from the Federal Ministry led by the Green Party's Robert Habeck as positive. He cites the branch network obligation as an example: the fact that there will generally have to be a post office branch in communities with 2,000 inhabitants in the future is in the interests of local people and a building block for strengthening rural areas, says the MP.
Stricter requirements for subcontractors
Roloff sees "light and shade" in the proposal to tighten the reins on parcel companies when it comes to subcontractors. The ministry wants the companies to be liable for offenses in the entire subcontractor chain, such as minimum wage violations. So far, this has not been the case if a subcontractor subcontracts the order. "In the case of sub-sub-structures, the parcel companies have so far been off the hook, which has led to abuse at the expense of working conditions in many places," complains Roloff.
The fact that this is set to change is to be welcomed. "However, it would have been better to ban the use of subcontractors in the letter and parcel sector in general." Seasonal order peaks, such as the Christmas business, could also be absorbed with temporary permanent positions, for which no subcontractors are necessary.
The reform proposal aims to alleviate the time pressure on postal services, as 95% of letters must be delivered within three working days from now on, instead of the previous requirement of 80% by the next working day. This change will allow the postal service to reduce costs and eliminate night flights used for transporting letters.
In response to this proposal, the Verdi trade union raises concerns about potential job losses due to the reduced time pressure on Swiss Post. Andrea Kocsis, Verdi Vice President, expressed her concerns and urged the federal government and Bundestag to amend the law to protect jobs covered by collective agreements.
Source: www.dpa.com
