ERFURT (dpa-AFX) - A conciliation committee is set to mediate the conflict surrounding the closure of Zalando's major logistics center in Erfurt, which employs approximately 2,700 people. The decision was handed down by the Erfurt Labor Court after the online fashion retailer filed a petition seeking judicial intervention to establish the committee.
The Labor Court justified its ruling on the grounds that the employer had declared negotiations with the works council regarding a social plan and a reconciliation of interests to have failed. Zalando argued that establishing a negotiation timetable had proven impossible within a foreseeable timeframe.
Under labor law, conciliation committees serve as an arbitration body within companies when the works council and management are unable to reach an agreement on critical issues.
Former State Secretary to Lead Arbitration
The conciliation committee will consist of four assessors representing each party. According to court records, Josef Molkenbur, a former judge and State Secretary of Justice from Saxony-Anhalt, has been appointed as chairman. Philipp Mesters, the presiding judge at the Erfurt Labor Court, noted that the decision is subject to appeal at the Thuringia State Labor Court.
"We remain ready to negotiate. Our doors are open," Tony Krause, chairman of the logistics center's works council, told the Deutsche Presse-Agentur. He emphasized that outstanding questions from employee representatives must now be addressed within the arbitration process. "We assume that this information phase will be completed first." Whether an appeal will be lodged against the court's decision remains undecided, pending a review of the written judgment.
Spokesman: Expedited Social Plan Negotiations
Zalando spokesman Christian Schmidt welcomed the ruling. He stated that the company's objective is to provide those affected with "clarity and planning security as quickly as possible." The conciliation committee, he added, provides a neutrally moderated framework to bring negotiations on a social plan to a swift and objective conclusion.
The failure of previous negotiations had been a point of contention between the company and the works council. The employee representatives had initially sought detailed justifications for the planned total shutdown of the Erfurt site. Approximately 50 people, including labor representatives, participated in a protest outside the courthouse.
Logistics Center Shutdown Slated for September
The Erfurt logistics site played a pivotal role in the growth of the DAX-listed group over recent years. Zalando intends to close the facility by the end of September, a move that has drawn criticism from the Thuringian state government. According to the company, the decision stems from a realignment of its group-wide European logistics network following the acquisition of online fashion retailer About You in 2025./rot/DP/stw
