In response to the difficult market environment and higher costs, DPD is evicting numerous employees. The parcel service provider wants to cut up to 1,400 jobs – that’s one in seven jobs.
Due to poor business, the parcel service provider DPD Germany is drawing red pencil. The company announced today in Aschaffenburg that up to 1,400 of the current 9,600 jobs will be eliminated within two years. The aim is to strengthen competitiveness and regain long-term performance.
The measures are a response to difficult market conditions, inflation-related cost increases and changing customer behavior, DPD said. According to the company, the job cuts should be “as socially acceptable as possible”. We are aware of our responsibility, said company boss Björn Scheel. “With the upcoming transformation, we are making DPD Germany fit and agile for the next few years.”
Sharp decline in shipments since Corona
The parcel industry boomed during the Corona crisis: at DPD alone, transport volume increased by seven percent in 2021. However, after the end of the pandemic, demand weakened. DPD was also affected by this: in 2022, the number of parcels transported in Germany fell by 8.8 percent to 412 million.
Market leader DHL had to accept a decline in shipment volumes of 8.3 percent to 1.7 billion. The Bonn-based group got back on track this year: in the third quarter of 2023, the package increase was 5.1 percent. DPD, however, does not communicate any current business figures. Behind DHL, DPD is one of the larger parcel service providers in Germany; other competitors include Hermes, GLS and UPS. DPD is a subsidiary of the French company Geopost, which in turn belongs to the French Post Office (La Poste). In addition to the permanent employees who work in the Aschaffenburg German headquarters, in the 79 depots nationwide and other locations, the company has 11,500 delivery staff, most of whom are self-employed.
ver.di is negotiating for more vacation and surcharges for couriers
Meanwhile, the ver.di union wants to campaign for more vacation and higher night and overtime bonuses for employees in freight forwarding or courier services in the collective bargaining negotiations that began yesterday. “After two years of high inflation, there is hardly enough money for everyday life. The urgent recovery falls by the wayside because vacations are becoming a luxury. That urgently needs to change,” said ver.di negotiator Thomas Großstück recently.
Specifically, ver.di is demanding three additional vacation days, a 14th monthly salary instead of the previous vacation pay and significant increases in bonuses for work at night or on Sundays and public holidays. According to its own information, the union represents around 176,000 employees in the negotiations – including from DPD.