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Friday, 22 June 2007 |
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Deutsche Telekom, the ‘Pink Panzer’, comes out on top (mostly) in battle with workforce.
Deutsche Telekom appears to have reached an agreement with leading trade union ver.di to end strikes that have disrupted the company’s customer service divisions in recent weeks. The bitter row had led DT to suggest it might sell the units involved to third parties if agreement could not be reached. That threat seems to have led ver.di to accept the company’s main conditions.
The dispute arose when DT confirmed plans to re-organise its service arms as separate legal entities under the ‘T-Service’ banner. The units cover call centre operations, technical customer service and technical infrastructure support. The units concerned go under the jazzy appellations of Deutsche Telekom Kundenservice GmbH, Deutsche Telekom Technischer Service GmbH and Deutsche Telekom Netzproduktion GmbH.
The changes are due to take place on 01 July. This week’s agreement paves the way for that to move forward.
"If ver.di's members agree to the compromise we will generate more competitive cost structures, promote service culture in the company, and therefore safeguard service jobs in the long term", said DT’s Chief Human Resources Officer and Labour Director Thomas Sattelberger.
The deal with ver.di, described as “consensual”, will see and increase in the working week from 34 to 38 hours, a 6.5% pay cut and a pay freeze through 2008. On the upside for workers, DT will refrain from outsourcing customer service functions until 2010 while the 50,000 jobs involved will be safeguarded until 2012. DT claims the agreement and restructuring will result in cost savings of up to €1bn by 2010.
It also says that the new structure will improve the service culture within the telco and increase its competitiveness. The problem facing DT is what room for manoeuvre it has left if these key goals are not realised.
Jim Chalmers
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