Last week, shoppers across Switzerland took advantage of Black Friday savings, but delivery drivers at DPD Switzerland say that, for them, the holiday rush is a raw deal.
On Monday, 29 November, at a DPD depot in Bussigny, UNI spoke to several workers, all subcontractors, who reported piling 140-to-200 parcels in their vehicles—nearly double their usual volume—and facing extreme pressure to deliver all, despite freezing temperatures and slick winter roads. Additionally, workers had to spend extra hours loading their trucks, which union Unia says is often unpaid.
For roughly one year, DPD drivers in Switzerland have been organizing with Unia to win wages with dignity, safer conditions, an end to intense surveillance and reform to DPD’s unfair subcontracting system. However, the logistics giant, owned by France’s GeoPost, has refused to recognize Unia as workers’ chosen union. The company launched an anti-union campaign that workers say threatens their right to freedom of association as well as the Swiss system of labour relations.
“For many DPD drivers in Switzerland, the holidays are not a time of joy but a time of crushing workloads, anxiety and fear of retaliation for supporting their union,” said Cornelia Berger, Head of UNI Global Union’s Post&Logistics sector. “That is why unions from all over the world are coming together to show solidarity for DPD Switzerland drivers and to demand that the company respect workers’ rights throughout its global operations.”
On 1 December, UNI is spearheading a global day of action to support Unia’s organizing efforts and to make clear to DPD that trampling trade union rights and exploiting a subcontracted workforce are not acceptable.
To participate, follow UNI Global Union on Facebook and Twitter and share you messages of solidarity. Because for drivers, #RespectAtDPD should not be a holiday miracle.
