With the ongoing coronavirus crisis causing a surge in online shopping, Deutsche Post recently requested special dispensation to deliver post in Germany on Sundays. However, the Federal Ministry of Labour has rejected this plan on the grounds that it puts too much pressure on employees.
With people stuck at home and most high streets closed down, lockdown in Germany has forced many people to embrace online shopping. The extra demand means that Deutsche Post's delivery service, DHL, has been conducting a roaring trade, processing around nine million packages per day - an increase of 40 percent compared to this time last year and a volume only usually seen in the lead-up to the Christmas holidays.
To keep up with the unprecedented volume of packages, DHL has been forced to hire extra staff. It also appealed for special permission to be able to "selectively" deliver on Sundays - usually a sacrosanct day of rest in Germany that sees almost all shops close their doors.
However, the Federal Ministry of Labour was not swayed by Deutsche Post's reasoning and rejected the request, maintaining that, despite the ongoing crisis, the supply and delivery of parcels was not under a threat serious enough to force staff to meet further demands - despite the company emphasising that it was not aiming for regular, nationwide Sunday deliveries.
"As the Berlin Administrative Court has already ruled in several proceedings, there is no supply crisis that would make it urgently necessary to supply the population with parcels delivered on Sundays" said a spokesperson for Labour Minister Hubertus Heil on Wednesday.
According to the spokesperson, the recent increase in package volume was temporary and could be attributed to the Easter holidays. The Ministry further maintained that contract restrictions and shop closures were not reason enough to intervene in the constitutionally guaranteed right to rest on Sundays. They added, "It is also politically incomprehensible why the parcel delivery drivers, who were significantly burdened in the crisis, should be exposed to further impositions."