Re Agenda item 3: Discharge of the members of the Executive Board
The Association of Ethical Shareholders Germany proposes that the actions of the members of the Board of Directors be denied discharge.
Justification:
The Executive Board has once again failed to implement effective measures to protect the climate and human rights.
Human rights: Unacceptable working conditions and suppression of trade union activities
There are increasing indications that the Executive Board is not adequately addressing human rights risks in accordance with the German Supply Chain Due Diligence Act (Lieferkettensorgfaltspflichtengesetz – LkSG), even in its own business area. This seems to be particularly true with regard to the prohibition of disregarding freedom of association, according to which employees may freely form or join trade unions, which may not be used as a reason for unjustified discrimination or retaliation, as well as the right to strike and the right to collective bargaining. We have received alarming information on this from trade unions in the UK and the USA:
Workers from the Unite the Union union at DHL Aviation in the UK are currently involved in a pay dispute. This has been unnecessarily escalated by DHL Aviation (UK) management by bullying union representatives and imposing their own pay offer rather than negotiating a settlement. One Unite member was dismissed and another was suspended due to false accusations. Disciplinary proceedings were also initiated against another Unite member in a neighboring DHL warehouse for supporting the workers during the strike. DHL even prevented an employee from taking part in the London Marathon (see also our countermotion to agenda item 7).
Over the past two years, employees at DHL’s largest hub in the US, CVG Airport in Kentucky, have formed a union. Supervisors refer to employees as “prisoners” and treat them as if they were running a prison. Employees live in a culture of intimidation, fear and disrespect. For example, they are not even allowed to use the toilet without permission. Some even wear diapers when sorting parcels. in 2023, an African-American worker was pulled from his forklift and physically assaulted by his white supervisor (who still works for DHL with impunity).
Occupational health and safety is inadequate, which leads to dangerous situations on a daily basis. Workers have been crushed by airplanes, impaled by metal crates, suffered broken bones and other serious injuries so common that a tent hospital has been set up to respond to injuries. Employees even had to be flown out on rescue flights several times a month!
Faced with these conditions, the employees began to form a trade union. The Ramp & Tug employees initially applied for an election, but had to endure months of legal challenges from DHL. During this time, local management waged an aggressive anti-union campaign and tried to intimidate workers into not voting for the union.
Despite this campaign, the employees prevailed, but were only able to conclude a collective agreement after a strike paralyzed DHL operations in the USA a few weeks before Christmas. This collective agreement only applied to the employees of Ramp & Tug – a further 1,500 employees are still fighting for recognition of their union despite the ongoing threats and intimidation.
Climate protection: Reduction of emissions not sufficient
Business practices geared towards further growth are contributing to the failure to meet the 1.5 degree target of the Paris climate protection agreement. The Executive Board urgently needs to explain transparently and comprehensibly how exactly the Group’s own climate targets are to be achieved. Deutsche Post’s entire climate protection strategy seems to be a single bet that sustainable fuels in air and sea freight transportation will somehow work out.
Although logistics-related greenhouse gas emissions fell by 9.1% between 2022 and 2023, they remain at an enormously high level of 36.7 million tons of CO2e. DHL itself describes the problem very aptly in its current annual report: The reduction in emissions is primarily due to fewer shipments and shipments, but not primarily to DHL’s climate protection measures. These have only resulted in a reduction of 1.3 million tons of CO2e, hardly more than in the previous year (see DHL Group Annual Report 2023, p. 66). At this rate, the 2030 climate target could not be achieved even if the development of shipment volumes were to stagnate at the 2023 level. The Executive Board still fails to provide evidence of how its own growth targets, which mean more transportation, are to be reconciled with its own climate targets for 2030.
Re Agenda item 6c: Elections to the Supervisory Board, Dr. Heinrich Hiesinger
The Association of Ethical Shareholders Germany proposes that the proposal of the Supervisory Board to re-elect Dr. Heinrich Hiesinger to the Supervisory Board be rejected.
Justification:
Dr. Heinrich Hiesinger can neither credibly nor independently monitor the work of the Executive Board with regard to respect for fundamental human rights.
We have been alarmed to learn about unacceptable working conditions at DHL and the current labor struggles of DHL workers in Kentucky from the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, the largest transportation workers union in the U.S. and Canada with thousands of members at DHL. Given the current situation of the workers at CVG Airport in Kentucky, DHL must act to support them and end the campaign against them.
In view of DHL’s disastrous record on human rights on the ground, we do not consider Heinrich Hiesinger suitable to continue to exercise appropriate control over the Board of Management, especially in view of his membership of the important Strategy and Sustainability Committee.
During his time as Vice Chairman and then Chairman of Thyssenkrupp, Mr. Hiesinger led an anti-worker and aggressive anti-union campaign that trampled on basic worker rights in the United States. The story of the Thyssenkrupp workers in Alabama is reminiscent of what DHL workers in Kentucky are currently experiencing.
Dr. Heinrich Hiesinger and the Thyssenkrupp employees in Alabama
When Thyssenkrupp employees began to organize in the USW union in 2010/2011, the company responded with an aggressive campaign to break it up. The management of the steel mill told new workers that the company was and would remain non-union and held meetings with anti-union speeches. The company overstepped legal boundaries with the campaign – a complaint was filed with the National Labor Relations Board. It was found that management had threatened workers and lied to them about losing benefits; not only spied on workers’ union activities, but also prohibited workers from talking about the union at work and punished union supporters if they did so.
Current struggle of DHL employees
Over the past two years, employees at DHL’s largest hub in the US, CVG Airport in Kentucky, have formed a union. Supervisors refer to employees as “prisoners” and treat them as if they were running a prison.
The Employees live in a culture of intimidation, fear and disregard. For example, they are not even allowed to use the toilet without permission. Some even wear diapers when sorting parcels. In 2023, an African-American worker was pulled from his forklift and physically assaulted by his white supervisor (who still works for DHL with impunity).
Occupational health and safety is inadequate, which leads to dangerous situations on a daily basis. Workers have been crushed by airplanes, impaled by metal crates, suffered broken bones and other serious injuries so common that a tent hospital has been set up to respond to injuries. Employees even had to be flown out on rescue flights several times a month!
Faced with these conditions, the employees began to form a trade union. The Ramp & Tug employees initially applied for an election, but had to endure months of legal challenges from DHL. During this time, local management waged an aggressive anti-union campaign and tried to intimidate workers into not voting for the union.
Despite this campaign, the employees prevailed, but were only able to conclude a collective agreement after a strike paralyzed DHL operations in the USA a few weeks before Christmas. This collective agreement only applied to the employees of Ramp & Tug – a further 1,500 employees are still fighting for recognition of their union despite the ongoing threats and intimidation.
Violations of laws, corporate policy and international human rights
DHL in Kentucky violates DHL’s own Code of Conduct, which states: “Our employees are free to join or not join a trade union or employee representative body of their choice without being threatened or intimidated.” In addition, DHL has signed several agreements at the national level in the US and internationally in which it commits to respect workers’ freedom of association and basic human rights as guaranteed by US and German labor law, supply chain law and the International Labor Organization.
