It took six months and 14 rounds of negotiations before the Verdi union and the fashion chain H&M have now reached an agreement on the first digitization collective agreement in retail in Germany.
The central element of the new digitization collective agreement for the 14,300 employees nationwide is the participation of employees in shaping digitization. “Digital technology must be shapeable in the interests of employees. The collective agreement expands the participation rights of the general works council and establishes a digitization advisory board, which consists of representatives from Verdi and H&M and can make its own suggestions and suggestions from the workforce for the design of the future concept,” said Verdi negotiator Cosimo-Damiano Quinto.
In addition, from the beginning of 2023, employees will be particularly involved in selected digitization test branches in order to assess the humane design of the new working methods and to make requirements for further development. According to Quinto, special protection against dismissal and declassification is also intended to protect branch employees against possible “dequalification” in the course of the digitization process.
Finally, the digitization collective agreement provides for up to six additional collectively agreed, half-yearly special payments for all employees in the stores. The granting of this payment in the second and third year depends on the sales development.