BERLIN (dpa-AFX) - Most members of the Bundestag had just streamed out of the chamber to cast their votes on the pension package when six individuals in yellow and red uniforms took their seats in the visitors' gallery: the Verdi workplace group representing DHL parcel delivery staff. The Left Party had invited them for the next agenda item, which was based on their motion: "Effectively Protect Parcel Delivery Workers from Overwork and Exploitation."
"The delivery job is 'backbreaking physical labor' and it gets even tougher during the Christmas season," said Pascal Meiser (The Left). "On their day off," the union members had come to the Bundestag, explained Aris Harkat, Verdi's union secretary for the postal sector.
"They know the theory, but not the practice," summed up Abdelaziz Shahin, who works at a parcel center, after the debate. "They just discussed pensions. Most employees have shoulder, back, and knee problems--those are the illnesses we face. How are they supposed to make it to retirement?" Shahin asked.
Fight for a 20-Kilo Limit
For years, union representatives in the sector have been fighting for a 20-kilogram weight limit for parcels. "Because nowadays we're basically moving furniture every day, I've had to deliver washing machines and refrigerators--it's getting worse," reported delivery team leader Steve Josch, who also delivers parcels daily.
The hand truck, which by law allows one person to transport up to 23 kilograms as it is considered a suitable technical aid, only helps to a limited extent: "What do you do on a spiral staircase?" Josch asked. Customers rarely lend a hand anymore. "If you do that 20 times a day, you know exactly what you've done by the evening," Josch said. Nevertheless, he believes it's important that the Bundestag is debating the issue.
Pressure from All Sides
In addition to the tough physical conditions, the job also takes a toll mentally, Harkat explained. Pressure on delivery workers comes from both sides: "from customers and from the employer." This increases the workload and leads to dissatisfaction and frustration. "Our job is simply a backbreaking one, and we do it every day," said Harkat, who worked for years as a delivery driver before joining Verdi.
While DHL employees benefit from a strong collective agreement with Verdi, the situation is very different across the sector: many companies in the industry "abuse occupational health and safety regulations," Harkat complained. This mainly affects employees of subcontractors. The union wants to bring "justice to the industry with a ban on subcontractors, so that everyone can benefit from good working conditions," the union secretary emphasized./lfo/DP/mis
