Workers Form Jacket Chain as Zalando Social Plan Talks Resume Under Former Labor Judge
Published on 07/06/2026 at 08:32 | Redaktion boerse-global.de
Around 2,100 employees at Zalando’s logistics hub in Erfurt have piled work jackets in front of the facility and formed a symbolic chain of garments to press for fair severance terms. The workforce also collected signatures demanding proper transition arrangements as the online fashion retailer prepares to shut the site.
The protests come after direct negotiations between management and the works council collapsed in June. A mediation panel — led by a former labor judge — now takes over, with binding sessions scheduled for July 7 and July 9. The panel’s task is to craft a legally enforceable social plan that mitigates the economic fallout for staff.
Zalando announced it would abandon the logistics center, located in the Thuringian state capital, with operations ending in September 2026. For Erfurt, the closure ranks among the company’s biggest logistics restructuring moves. Workers say they need a fair deal on compensation and bridging measures.
The upcoming July dates are seen as decisive. If mediator-led talks fail to produce an agreement before the planned shutdown, uncertainty will deepen for the thousands whose jobs hang in the balance.
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