In the action, workers sign protest cards, which will later be presented to DHL management, which the workers call a 'warning signal' to management. Staff are said to be fed up with waiting any longer for a better collective agreement proposal.
The old collective agreement expired a year and a half ago. DHL's new offer was rejected by union members for being sub-standard, with CNV saying shareholders saw their dividends rise 23 per cent in recent years. The unions want the 1,200 workers to benefit from the company's performance. Therefore, it is demanding a 2.5 per cent wage increase and a one-off payment of 300 euros. "Thanks in part to the commitment of the workers, the company has come out of the crisis well. But now that things are better, they are not allowed to share in the success. Instead, the management comes up with a final collective agreement offer that is full of deteriorations. That stings," says negotiator Agostino Di Giacomo Russo of CNV Vakmensen. Besides training budgets, the union also wants an independent study on workload and agreements on the number of temporary workers in the company. "And of course all deteriorations must be off the table, for example when it comes to the irregularity allowance, overtime periods and meal allowances."
Last week, the ultimatum to the management to come up with a better collective labour agreement proposal expired. Back then, the unions already let it be known that actions would be inevitable. Should the management not respond to this protest either, the actions may be extended.
