[130512.EN.LOG] UN Union Group Blasts DHL For Avoiding Unions And Not Reporting Injuries

A UN-backed labour groups have complained that Deutsche Post DHL avoids unionisation where it can and has been fined for health and safety regulations in the United States.

A document entitled Corporate Irresponsibility, Deutsche Post DHL's Global Labour Practices Exposed, the group said the company avoided unionisation outside Europe and employed too many temporary or agency workers.

The UNI Global Union and the ITF (International Transport Workers' Federation) said workers are fearful of retaliation if they try to organise unions. In many countries, including Malaysia, Indonesia and India, subcontracted workers have been paid substantially less than regular workers while doing exactly the same work.

The company has also been fined for health and safety violations, notably earlier this year in the US where DP-DHL subsidiary Excel has been fined almost US$300,000, without mentioning the specific offence.

The Wikipedia entry said it was a fine from the US "Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration, which fined Excel almost $300,000, for wilfully failing to record and report on-the-job injuries for four years.

Such violations, says the union group contradict DP-DHL's own corporate responsibility policies and its commitment to the principles of the United Nations Global Compact, which it signed in 2006.

The report provides a whole raft of evidence holding the company to account and demanding it meet its aspirations as a responsible enterprise in every country where it operates, not just in its home base, Germany. The 175 million member International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) is supporting the campaign.

Source : HKSG.