The protest continues on the upcoming court date and public rally on may 16th
BERLIN, GERMANY, MAY 08, 2023 – The prolonged battle between boss of the failed company EcoCarrier, Raimund Rassillier, and the employees who lost their jobs in a mass layoff continues into its 5th month. The workers, despite being accused by Rassillier in an e-mail communication dated April 6 of “systemic working time fraud” and “further criminal acts,” are undeterred and continue to battle him in court rigorously. FAU Berlin sees these baseless accusations as a classic tactic to justify
his avoidance of further negotiations.
The dismissed workers of EcoCarrier AG Berlin have joined forces and are fighting together against the legal violations of their former company. Since January, they have been protesting through letters to management, public protests, and lawsuits due to missing wages and against wrongful termination in labor court. Their goals, once secure working conditions and fair compensation, are now focused on recognition of the legal violations by EcoCarrier AG, payment of unpaid wages, and severance payments.
Large companies in the delivery sector seem to see labor law violations and missing wage payments as part of their business model, as these occur regularly. EcoCarrier AG, which advertises fair working conditions and a focus on sustainability and eco-friendly deliveries, appears to rely on these legal violations as well. This practice must be exposed publicly because it targets the most vulnerable and precarious members of our society, who often do not have the resources to defend themselves. The outcome of lawsuits is uncertain, bureaucratic obstacles must be overcome along the way, and the accused companies continue to defend themselves with all available means.
In the case of EcoCarrier AG, in the litigation and out-of-court negotiations, the company and its CEO Raimund Rassillier now seem to be relying on the tactic of delay – seven court dates have been postponed, and negotiations with the workers and representatives of the FAU Berlin union have not yet
reached a conclusion. Nevertheless, the former workers continue to stand together in defense of their rights and invite everyone to the upcoming conciliation hearing of three former workers on May 16, 2023, at the Berlin labor court.
Timeline
- 09.01.2023 – First demand letter to management sent, addressing the problems in the
company and demanding severance pay for all terminated workers and a raise in salary for
the remaining workers. - 16.01.2023 – Second letter to management sent, announcing that workers are now
organizing under FAU Berlin, addressing that we did not receive an answer from them and
that we will make our case public. - 10.02.2023 – Third letter to the management sent, including information about the intention
to inform the public. - 15.02.2023 – Official press statement sent.
- 16.02.2023 – First court support action.
- 24.02.2023 – Larger court support & demo/rallye.
- 08.04.2023 – Demo in front of REWE next to the Rollberg distribution center
- Held court hearings with court support from colleagues on site 02.03, 07.03., 13.03., 14.03.,
28.03., 30.03., 12.4.
Upcoming events – please join us! - 16.05.2023 – Court hearing of three former courier drivers of EcoCARRIER AG
12:00 Meeting point for colleagues and people in solidarity in front of the labour court,
short drama: insight into the everyday life of a delivery bike courier
13:00 Court date - Upcoming court dates with support from local colleagues on 5.05., 8.05., 16.05., 22.06.,
20.09., 19.10.
We invite you to attend the upcoming events and are happy to offer interviews both at the events
and at any other time convenient. Thank you very much for your kind attention.
Pressematerial
- 12.04.23 – Nicht „unter die Räder“ kommen, taz
- 08.04.23 – In the Abenschau of rbb [no archive available]
- 08.04.23 – Protest vor REWE, labournet.tv
- 07.04.23 – Fahrradkuriere in Berlin: Die letzte Meile, nd
- 05.04.23 – Aufstand gegen E-Lastenräder: Fahrradkuriere protestieren, Berliner Morgenpost
- 05.04.23 – Die Zeichen stehen auf Arbeitskampf, taz
- 04.03.23 – »Wir haben unsere Gesundheit aufs Spiel gesetzt«, junge Welt
- 01.03.23 – EcoCarrier mit Massenentlassung in Berlin, interview at arbeitsunrecht FM
- See also: FAU auf Twitter, Deliverunion FAU Berlin