BONN/BERLIN (dpa-AFX) - Due to the three-day warning strikes at the Post, three million letters and one million parcels have been left behind, according to the company. There could be delays of several days in delivery and collection, the Post announced in Bonn over the weekend. In some regions, this was compounded by problems caused by the onset of winter. The affected shipments would correspond to about 15 percent of the daily average for parcels and six percent for letters.

The Verdi union had concluded its three-day warning strikes on Saturday with a nationwide walkout of delivery staff. On Friday, the focus had still been on the letter and parcel centers. "The participation is good, the mood among the strikers also," said a Verdi spokesman in Berlin. A total of around 30,000 postal workers had taken part in the warning strikes.

Participation in the strikes varied from region to region and location to location, and the effects varied accordingly, a postal spokesman said. A total of about 9,400 employees responded to the strike call on Saturday, which was slightly more than a third of the employees who were scheduled to work on Saturday, he said.

The union is demanding 15 percent more pay for a contract period of one year. Training allowances are to be raised by 200 euros a month. The Post Board rejects the demand as unrealistic.

Verdi wants the warning strikes to be understood as a "clear signal to the employers". The latter had made it clear in the second round of negotiations that they were neither willing nor able to compensate for the real wage losses of the 160,000 pay-scale employees. "This is a provocation to which the employees are now giving a clear response."

He said the group expected to post record profits of around 8.4 billion euros in 2022. "Against this background, too, our wage demands are necessary, fair and feasible," said Verdi negotiator Andrea Kocsis. Negotiations will continue on February 8 and 9. Swiss Post has announced its intention to present an offer then./fc/DP/jha