BONN (dpa-AFX) - In the wage dispute at Deutsche Post, Verdi is once again resorting to warning strikes. On Thursday, the union called for work stoppages across Germany to increase pressure and persuade management to give in. The employees' side is demanding 15 percent more pay for the approximately 160,000 pay-scale employees in the Post & Parcel Germany division. This is far too much for the company. Last week, there had already been three days of warning strikes in which, according to Verdi, around 30,000 employees took part. As a result, one million parcels and three million letters were temporarily left behind.

After initial feedback from the sites, a Verdi spokesman estimated the participation in the strike as high. "The mood is good," he said.

A spokesman for the Post reacted with incomprehension to the renewed work stoppages. The company had already announced that it would present an offer at the beginning of the third round of negotiations on February 8. Therefore the warning strikes are "unnecessary, since they go in the long run only at the expense of our customers".

The Post has had strong growth years, partly due to the Corona pandemic: people ordered much more online than before. Last year, parcel volumes did fall somewhat as the pandemic's impact eased and people started shopping more again. The economic slowdown also made itself felt. On the other hand, the previously weakening mail business picked up due to an increase in advertising mail. The outlook for the logistics company remains positive in times of booming online retailing. However, higher costs for energy, for example, are causing the company problems.

Deutsche Post emphasizes that it needs financial leeway for investments - investments that secure current jobs in the long term. If personnel costs rise too sharply, this could put the brakes on investments and thus cloud the future.

Verdi, on the other hand, points to the workforce's performance in times of pandemic and to high inflation, which necessitates a hefty pay increase. "The strikes are a clear signal from our members to the employers," said Verdi Vice Chair Andrea Kocsis.

Employers made it clear in last week's second round of collective bargaining that they were neither willing nor able to compensate for employees' real wage losses, the unionist said. "This is a provocation to which the employees are giving an unequivocal response with their strikes." She said the group was expecting record profits in 2022. "The company owes this success to the work of its employees," Kocsis said. Against this background, too, the wage demands were "necessary, fair and feasible."

The warning strikes were initially planned for one day only, until midnight. However, an extension is possible. "It may well be that more warning strikes will follow in the next few days," said Thomas Großstück of Verdi NRW./yynwd/DP/stk