ERFURT (dpa-AFX) - Following weeks of radio silence, management and the works council of the Zalando logistics center in Erfurt, which is facing closure, have entered into initial discussions. The works council confirmed the start of negotiations concerning a reconciliation of interests, a social plan, and a catalog of questions submitted by employee representatives. A company spokesperson had also identified May 29 as the initial meeting date. The long-standing deadlock was broken a week ago through a settlement. Approximately 2,000 jobs are currently at stake at Zalando.

The settlement concluded ongoing legal proceedings regarding the establishment of a conciliation committee. A hearing on the matter had originally been scheduled for June 3 before the State Labour Court in Erfurt.

Negotiations without a conciliation committee

According to the works council and the company spokesperson, the settlement stipulates that negotiations will initially take place outside of a conciliation committee, as requested by the works council. Should no agreement be reached by June 20, the conciliation committee will be convened on June 23. Up to three negotiation sessions per week are planned over the coming weeks, according to reports.

The DAX-listed group intends to close the logistics center, which played a pivotal role in its growth as an online fashion retailer, in September. The conflict has been simmering since the beginning of the year. Of the approximately 2,700 employees at that time, around 2,000 remain with the company, according to the works council. Fixed-term contracts for several hundred employees have since expired./rot/DP/stw