Thomas Ogilvie, Member of the Board of Management and Chief Human Resources Officer of Deutsche Post AG, said: "The negotiations with ver.di were extremely difficult. Given the business development at Post & Parcel Germany, there was little room for wage increases. Nevertheless, it was important for us to reach an agreement. Following a very high collective agreement in 2023, we are again implementing wage increases that will maintain our employees' purchasing power over the agreed duration of the collective bargaining agreement. This agreement also benefits our customers: The warning strikes are over, and the focus is once again fully on high service quality and reliability. However, this agreement does not resolve the structural problems affecting Post & Parcel Germany."

Post & Parcel Germany is transitioning from a letter to a parcel business in a challenging environment: The structural decline in letter volumes has accelerated significantly, the regulatory environment is unfavorable, and the cost burden from recent collective agreements is substantial. The agreed wage increase will translate into an additional EUR 360 million in structural costs for the company in 2026 alone, and thus still within the current wage regulation period. At the same time, there is still a high investment need for the restructuring of the letter and parcel network as well as for the ecological sustainability of the business area.

Nikola Hagleitner, Board Member of Post & Parcel Germany said: "In this difficult environment, it is now our task to drive the restructuring of the business area and secure the profitability of Post & Parcel Germany, so that we can continue to invest in the restructuring of our networks and the quality of our services. In light of the environment and this collective agreement, we must consistently expand and accelerate our cost-cutting measures."