Postal workers at Deutsche Post initiated a strike on January 28, 2025, demanding higher wages and additional vacation days amid ongoing collective bargaining negotiations.

The decision to strike followed a second round of negotiations on January 25, 2025, which yielded no tangible results, disappointing union leaders.

Deutsche Post has criticized the warning strikes as unnecessary and plans to present a proposal in the upcoming third negotiation round scheduled for mid-February.

The postage price hike was approved by Germany's Federal Network Agency, although the agency restricted the increase to amounts lower than those requested by Deutsche Post.

The union, Verdi, is advocating for three extra vacation days for employees and one additional vacation day specifically for its members.

Verdi estimates that the strike will lead to delays in the delivery of approximately 1.2 million letters and 120,000 parcels across affected regions.

A spokesperson from Verdi's Hessen regional office warned that these strikes are expected to cause significant delivery delays.

While all delivery staff are participating in the strike, stationary postal facilities remain unaffected.

The strike is currently impacting rural areas in northern Germany, including Schleswig-Holstein, Niedersachsen, and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.

Deutsche Post holds a dominant market position, with a 90% share in letter delivery and 50% in parcel delivery, despite facing challenges from digitalization.

The mood among strikers remains positive, with participants determined to advocate for their demands, according to a Verdi spokesperson.

Earlier in January 2025, Deutsche Post raised the cost of sending letters by an average of 10.5%, increasing the price of a standard letter from 85 cents to 95 cents.