Walkout at dm's Weilerswist Distribution Hub Draws 100 Workers as Union Presses for Collective Agreement
Published on 10/31/2026 at 04:12 | Editorial boerse-global.de
Roughly 100 staff at the dm distribution centre in Weilerswist downed tools on 29 October, part of a push by the ver.di union for formal collective bargaining coverage at the site. The logistics facility, located in the Euskirchen district, supplies numerous stores for the drugstore chain, including outlets in the Aachen, Düren and Euskirchen areas.
According to the works council, about 100 of the site's 1,800 employees joined the action, which got under way at 13:30 on 29 October. A strike assembly was also scheduled outside the distribution centre's gates for the morning of 30 October.
What the Dispute Is About
At the heart of the conflict are fundamental disagreements over working conditions and contractual protection. ver.di and the dm employees involved are calling for a recognition collective agreement (Anerkennungstarifvertrag), binding rules and a greater say in workplace decisions. The Weilerswist works council also complains of job cuts at the site and steadily mounting pressure on the remaining workforce.
Management at dm rejects signing such an agreement. Michael Jansen, the official responsible for the site, said wages there are at least on par with the collective agreement and usually paid above it. The company also provides higher holiday and Christmas bonuses, he added.
Deliveries Continue
Despite the stoppage, logistics operations have kept running. The works council says goods are still being dispatched from the distribution centre, and Jansen stressed that the strike has had no effect on deliveries to dm stores.
Reports of empty shelves — such as those observed at a branch on Aachen's Franzstraße — are unrelated to the industrial action, according to the company. Because goods commissioned after the strike began were only delivered to stores in the course of 30 October, the shortages seen were not attributable to the walkout.
Talks between company representatives and employees had already taken place on 29 October, and an early end to the action appeared in sight. While ver.di initially announced at the start of the strike that it would run until Saturday afternoon, following the discussions the stoppage was expected to wrap up on the morning of 31 October.
