Postal chaos in Kreuth: No delivery for weeks – residents are affected!

Postal chaos in Kreuth: No delivery for weeks – residents are affected!

Recently, the delivery base in Kreuth, Weissach, had to stop deliveries for a week, leaving many local residents without their expected shipments. The period of non-delivery extended from Tuesday, June 17th to Tuesday, June 24th. Among those affected was a woman from Rottacher from Staudach who was waiting for a package that had been announced for Friday, but which did not arrive. On Monday, June 23, there was no mail, while residents saw “mountains of packages” through the windows of the delivery base that remained untouched. The affected streets extend over Ringbergstrasse, Enzianstrasse and Edelweißstrasse as well as parts of Bad Wiessee.

Sonja Radojicic, head of regional communications south at DHL Group, explained that a wave of illness among employees led to the delivery delays. However, DHL rejected the claim that the shipments had piled up. There is a minimum requirement that 95% of shipments must be delivered on the third and 99% on the fourth working day after posting. On Tuesday afternoon, June 24th, mail finally arrived, but the package of chocolates that the Rottach woman was expecting had melted and had to be thrown away, further evidence of the delivery people's predicament.

Background and causes of the problems

The problems at Deutsche Post cannot only be observed locally. Christina Dahlhaus, the federal chairwoman of the DPVKOM trade union, explains that the delivery workers' working conditions are very stressful. Increasing work intensity, high physical strain, changing delivery districts and family-unfriendly working hours mean that many employees fall ill or leave the company after years of work. This high turnover results in a massive staff shortage, and it is estimated that several thousand delivery workers are missing.

The delivery staff are under enormous pressure: they often have to cancel their tours because the amount of work cannot be completed in the allotted time. Despite a maximum working time of 10:45 hours per day, this is often not enough. The high level of sickness leaves the remaining employees under increased strain, both physically and mentally. The irregular working hours add to the stress.

Requirements and outlook

The situation requires urgent action. The union is calling for an effective recruitment drive as well as predictable working hours and fixed weekends. In particular, the problem of heavy packages should be alleviated by two-man delivery starting at 20 kilograms. A further step towards appreciating delivery workers should be “Delivery Day”, which will be celebrated on June 6, 2024, to draw attention to the challenges faced by delivery workers and to recognize the importance of their work. In the context of the increasing challenges within the industry, it remains to be seen whether and how quickly the necessary changes will be introduced.

The reports from Kreuth reflect how important the working conditions at Deutsche Post are and their impact on deliveries. For many residents, the effects of these delivery problems are already clearly noticeable.