BERLIN/BONN (dpa-AFX) - A strike at Deutsche Post has been averted. Verdi members at the Bonn-based logistics giant approved by a large majority the collective bargaining agreement negotiated in mid-March for the approximately 160,000 pay-scale employees, the union announced Friday. In the ballot, 61.7 percent of respondents voted in favor of accepting the collective agreement result. The Verdi bargaining commission also approved the collective bargaining result at its meeting on Friday, it said. "With this, the collective bargaining agreement enters into force."

The collective agreement runs for two years until the end of 2024, and provides for a special payment to compensate for inflation totaling 3,000 euros net for employees, paid over 15 months. Of this, 1020 euros is to be paid in April, with the rest spread out monthly until March 2024. From April 1, 2024, all employees will then receive 340 euros more per month. According to Post, this means an average wage increase of 11.5 percent.

"The clear approval of the collective agreement result shows that we were right in our goal of compensating for inflation, especially for the lower pay groups," said Verdi negotiator Andrea Kocsis./rea/DP/nas