Ikea is going after Amazon – colleagues in Germany fear for jobs and data protection and want the future collective agreement

dossier

“Employees demand a say and secure the future” is what it meansLeaflet from and at ver.di Handel from November 2020 titled: “…Digitalization at IKEA is still in its early stages. And yet almost 40 percent report that the new technologies have already massively changed their workplace. This is partly the case for another 37%. The consequences: 20% of those affected say that the workload has increased, 11% experience significant time pressure, 10% report that they have less interaction with their colleagues, 6% say that work has become more monotonous. (…) The future of IKEA must be based on a sustainable digitalization strategy in which the know-how and expertise of its employees have weight. Employees who keep the store running every day must be involved! At the same time, their direct interest in good, healthy and safe work must be respected and guaranteed by collective agreements...“See further information on the situation and survey from ver.di:

• IKEA is being rebuilt – little by little, moving further and further away from the “collective agreement of the future”: “A new zeitgeist with a scary factor!” (ver.di trade)
  “What is currently happening at IKEA is anything but a harmless spook.The balance of the last 12 months:
  – 15 redundancies for operational reasons at the Hamburg-Altona furniture store
  – 63 IT jobs destroyed in Dortmund
  – 278 jobs destroyed in the Customer Support Center Rostock
  – 127 redundancies for operational reasons
  – + 32 change notices
  – + 78 transfers in the Wallau service organization
  And these are not abstract numbers. Behind each one are colleagues, their families, their life plans and often many years of work for IKEA.
  Do you still recognize your IKEA?
  An IKEA where you can rely on your workplace? An IKEA where experience and many years of service count for something? An IKEA that not only speaks of its values, but also lives them towards its own employees?
  IKEA is being rebuilt – piece by piece.
  Locations and areas are changed, jobs are lost, colleagues receive notice of changes or are transferred. And no one can be sure that the next renovation will not affect their own area. (…) Our goal is a collective agreement that gives employees protection, security and binding rights as IKEA continues to restructure…”Message from October 6th, 2026 from ver.di Handel and appeal to the workforce
• New ver.di campaign for collective agreement.Future.IKEA: Health comes first! No more constant overloads at IKEA
  ""How we experience working at IKEA has little to do with the feel-good attitude in the company's commercials: there are too few staff, but there are more and more tasks for the colleagues, who are often alone in the area. Managers are not supportive. What's more, signs of overload are not taken seriously. And personnel scheduling is not done by people, but by Atoss - with working hours that sometimes change daily. All of this is stressful, dangerous to health and causes high levels of sick leave.
  Are you wondering what we can do together to make things better? Fight together for a collective agreement that reduces the burden and regulates the following:Good, health-promoting working conditions and leadership; Protection against work intensification; Qualitative, co-determined personnel requirements planning; Participation of employees in the design of technical or work organizational innovations. This includes continuous stress testing. Prompt elimination of work-related overload or incorrect strain. That's what we fight for. Join us and be active for better, healthier working conditions with a collective agreement.Future.IKEA. PARTICIPATE IN THE UPCOMING ACTIONS AND STRIKES!” Report from March 28, 2023 at ver.di Handel 
• Reasons for the strike at Ikea using Fürth as an example: Complete understaffing, high levels of sickness, frustration and hopelessness 
  “The employees are angry and demand healthy work in times of digitalization. What is required is a collective agreement that covers several areas, including health protection, digitalization and qualification. According to the Verdi union, the global furniture retailer fundamentally refuses to negotiate such a collective agreement. That's why the Ikea employees in Fürth went on strike on December 16th under the motto "We too deserve a healthy Christmas." The rally took place from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. in the parking lot on Hans-Vogel-Straße. In the morning it was decided to continue the strike on Saturday. (…)According to Verdi, the employees are already working completely understaffed. “We can no longer do our own work and are just jumping to other departments,” said one employee. The dissatisfaction is great. The sickness rate is continuously increasing due to overwork caused by the chronic shortage of staff.“Unfortunately, frustration and hopelessness are now part of everyday life,” said Felix Grabe, who began his training at Ikea years ago. Mirza Jukic, who has been there for over 25 years, agreed with him: “We have a lot of grievances, some of which we have endured for a very long time.” It is therefore all the more important to stand up for the rights of employees. Jaana Hampel, who is responsible for Ikea at Verdi Middle Franconia, states: "We are for digitalization. But this has to be done with people and not against them. Our colleagues here are already feeling the immense pressure on personnel and are becoming sick from the consequences. Ikea has to sit down at the negotiating table.”…”Article by lui and hjw from December 16, 2022 at nordbayern.de (“Protest in the freezing cold continues on Saturday”)
• We won't let ourselves be divided! Strikers at Ikea and Thalia show solidarity with Galeria employees
  “This Friday, the United Services Union (ver.di) is calling on employees of the retail companies Thalia and Ikea to go on strike in Hamburg, Berlin and Brandenburg, among others. In Berlin, colleagues will gather at 11 a.m. in front of the Karstadt building at Müllerstrasse 25. They want to express their solidarity with all employees of Galeria Karstadt Kaufhof, who are fighting to maintain their locations and jobs…”Report from December 16, 2022 at ver.di Handel with a picture gallery of the strike at Thalia and Ikea on December 16, 2022 in Berlin
  • See our dossier for background information:Karstadt reaches for Kaufhof. Real estate in sight
• Strikes again across Germany at Ikea for a “collective agreement.Future.Ikea”
  "The United Services Union (ver.di) has called for nationwide actions and strikes at Ikea Deutschland GmbH. In doing so, ver.di is reacting to the rejection of any negotiations on a forward-looking collective agreement "Tariff Agreement.Future.Ikea - Digitalization, Omnichannel and Qualification." "Ikea Germany is generating a significant increase in sales, but the staff is not growing to the same extent as the company's sales. On the contrary: the workload of the employees continues to increase significantly. The sickness rate in the houses is high and vacancies are often not filled," says Stefanie Nutzberger, Federal Head of Trade. At the same time, the design of the digital future in the company is making further progress. “This has an impact on work processes and workplaces and puts additional pressure on employees,” added Nutzberger. As early as May 2021, ver.di asked Ikea to negotiate the collective agreement. After a long delay, the company management rejected any negotiations on the “collective agreement.Future.Ikea” in a letter to the ver.di Federal Tariff Commission in November of this year. (…) We will not accept that Ikea denies its employees the protection of a collective agreement,” said Nutzberger.” ver.di press release from December 12, 2022 (“Employees outraged by employer’s refusal”) – but without giving a date… can be found in:
  • Verdi is calling on Ikea employees across Germany to go on warning strikes
    “…When exactly there should be a strike will be decided locally this week. According to Verdi, the warning strikes could lead to restrictions in operations and partial closures, for example at checkouts or in restaurants…”Report from December 13, 2022 at rbb24 
  • ver.di strikes at Ikea in North Rhine-Westphalia continue
    “On Monday, December 12th, 2022, the strikes in the Ikea furniture stores in North Rhine-Westphalia will continue. On this day, the United Services Union (ver.di) is calling on employees at the IKEA store in Duisburg to go on an all-day strike. On this day, the new head of Germany, Walter Kadnar, visits the Duisburg location…”PM from December 12th, 2022 at ver.di Handel NRW and before:
  • Strikes at Ikea in North Rhine-Westphalia on Saturday (December 10, 2022)
    “The United Services Union (ver.di) is calling on employees at Ikea in Siegen to go on an all-day strike on Saturday (December 10, 2022) as part of a nationwide week of action. Several Ikea furniture stores from North Rhine-Westphalia will take part in further campaigns next week. ver.di is demanding a “collective agreement on digitalization, omnichannel and qualification” for the company’s employees. In a letter in November, Ikea management rejected any negotiations on this “collective agreement.Future.Ikea” with the ver.di Federal Tariff Commission…”PM from December 12th, 2022 at ver.di Handel NRW 
  • This apparently applies to all federal states...
• [Friday (August 19) in Berlin-Spandau] Ikea boss is loudly welcomed by strikers in Berlin-Spandau who are demanding a future collective agreement 
  “Jesper Brodin, CEO of INGKA Holding, which is behind Ikea, has to be prepared for a loud “greeting” from striking employees on Friday (August 19) in Berlin-Spandau. In front of the IKEA furniture store, delegations of strikers from Berlin and Brandenburg, Braunschweig, Leipzig, Erfurt, Dresden and Magdeburg want to reiterate their demand for a collective agreement to shape the ongoing digitalization in the retail company. The United Services Union (ver.di), which called for the strike, is demanding binding regulations in order to be able to help shape the ongoing transformation processes in the interests of the employees. This involves, among other things, qualification measures, securing jobs and protecting against loss of income due to regrouping. “Attempts at modernization that are put together by managers at the green table are doomed to failure,” warns ver.di negotiator Maren Ulbrich. "The colleagues in the branches know best where the problem is, what the customers need and what problems need to be addressed. Without them, the company cannot be positioned for the future."The employees of Ikea Germany have repeatedly made it clear in recent months with creative actions and strikes that they support the demands of their union. Ver.di accuses the company management of stalling tactics and delaying substantive discussions. “It is now time to increase the pressure and become so loud that CEO Brodin cannot ignore us,” said Ulbrich.”ver.di press release from August 19, 2022 , see also:
  • Employees in Bremerhaven take to the streets: Collective agreement for the future at IKEA - Ikea boss is loudly welcomed by strikers in Berlin-Spandau
    “Jesper Brodin, CEO of INGKA Holding, which is behind Ikea, has to be prepared for a loud “greeting” from striking employees on Friday (August 19) in Berlin-Spandau. In front of the IKEA furniture store, delegations of strikers from Berlin and Brandenburg, Braunschweig, Leipzig, Erfurt, Dresden and Magdeburg want to reiterate their demand for a collective agreement to shape the ongoing digitalization in the retail company. The United Services Union (ver.di), which called for the strike, is demanding binding regulations in order to be able to help shape the ongoing transformation processes in the interests of the employees. This involves, among other things, qualification measures, securing jobs and protecting against loss of income due to regrouping. The colleagues at the furniture store in Bremerhaven forego the unfortunately long journey and take their demands to the streets in Bremerhaven…”Report from ver.diBremen-Northern Lower Saxony district - The strike rally with around 25 people will take place from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. in front of the furniture store at Weserstraße 1I, 27572 Bremerhaven.
• Nationwide works meetings at IKEA on June 10th as the highlight of a nationwide week of action against the refusal of the “Future Collective Agreement” 
  "The general works council of the IKEA furniture stores in Germany has invited people to a nationwide works meeting for the first time. The meetings will take place on Friday morning (June 10th) in around 50 of 54 furniture stores. The local works meetings will be digitally networked in order to give the general works council and the United Services Union (ver.di) the opportunity to take part live in the discussions on site. The reason for the nationwide works meetings is the refusal of the company management IKEA Deutschland GmbH to negotiate a “collective agreement for the future” with ver.di due to the digital upheavals in furniture stores. “In the collective agreement we want to regulate the digital transformation at IKEA in the interests of the employees and help shape it in their interests,” said negotiator Orhan Akman. “We are for progress, but we want the employees to be included and protected.” The general works council supports the demand for a corresponding collective agreement. The joint works meeting is the highlight of a nationwide week of action that the ver.di Federal Tariff Commission prepared together with the general works council. Postcard campaigns, signature campaigns, button days and many other creative activities are currently taking place in the furniture stores to inform employees and customers about the demands and digital revolutions at IKEA and the demands of the union.” ver.di press release from June 8, 2022 
• IKEA employees went on strike nationwide on Tuesday, September 21st, 2021: for the 2021 retail collective agreement and the future collective agreement 
  “In the ongoing collective bargaining dispute in the retail sector, the United Services Union (ver.di) is calling on employees of the furniture company IKEA to go on strike. The employees of the Swedish furniture giant want to show their colors nationwide with their warning strikes this Tuesday (September 21, 2021). The center of activities will be Lower Saxony and Bremen. Furniture stores from other regions will also take part in the nationwide strike day, including furniture stores in Bavaria, Hesse, Hamburg, Baden-Württemberg, Saxony-Anhalt, Thuringia and North Rhine-Westphalia. "The employees at IKEA are sending a clear message for a good collective bargaining agreement. The strike participation there has never been as high as in these collective bargaining rounds," said Maren Ulbrich, the responsible union secretary. In recent months, IKEA employees have been heavily involved in retail workers' strikes. 31 of 54 furniture stores have already been on strike and there are a total of more than 180 days of strike there. The reason for the high willingness to take action among IKEA employees is, among other things, the furniture company's low willingness to approach its employees in the digital transformation process that is currently taking place at a rapid pace. "At the moment it's about wage increases. At Ikea, the employees are also demanding a collective agreement that regulates the company's rapid digital transformation in the interests of the employees," says Maren Ulbrich. With their actions, the employees also want to have a future in the collective agreement. Make Ikea aware. The ver.di Federal Tariff Commission at Ikea wants to negotiate this with the company management.The aim is, among other things, to regulate employment security, qualification and the humane design of technology through collective agreements and to secure these for employees. “However, the company management canceled a negotiation date that had already been agreed upon and refused to hold talks,” said Ulbrich…”ver.di press release from September 21, 2021 , see:
  • Screw loose at IKEA. Retail collective bargaining round: Verdi is striking numerous branches of the furniture store chain
    “Discover the possibilities. For example: What if IKEA paid its employees so that they could live a good life? On Tuesday, hundreds of employees of the Swedish furniture store chain at several locations in northern Germany set an example in the deadlocked collective bargaining dispute in the retail sector with a one-day strike. According to Verdi, the branches in Hanover Expo-Park, Bremerhaven, Osnabrück and Braunschweig were affected, among others. Although the company was able to increase its revenue last year despite the Corona crisis, it was participating in the "nationwide blockade" of the business camp, complained Sabine Gatz, who is leading the negotiations for the service union in the Lower Saxony-Bremen district. (…) The crisis has made particular demands on the IKEA furniture giant. In response to weeks of closures, the online division was expanded rapidly, meaning work routines changed overnight. Accordingly, Verdi is pushing for a separate “digitization collective agreement” whose aim, among other things, is to “design technology in a way that is humane”. So far, however, the company bosses have refused to negotiate about it.”Article by Ralf Wurzbacher in the Junge Welt from September 22nd, 2021 
  • See the dossier for background informationRetail collective bargaining round 2021 – will it become a “tariff rescue package”? 
• Clear survey results: A key role for employees! Lots of support for the future collective agreement at IKEA
  “What's next with digitalization at IKEA, how is it progressing? In no way against the employees: Ikea employees want to play a leading role in the change processes and not be treated like extras. This is what the vast majority of the approximately 2,600 colleagues who took part in the employee survey conducted by the ver.di Federal Collective Bargaining Commission in October with the support of the General Works Council say. The good turnout alone can be considered a success. Because parts of the company management had tried to undermine the project. It was quickly claimed that only members of ver.di were allowed to take part in the survey and advertise for it. However, this use of tricks did not have the desired effect. The survey proves the ver.di Federal Tariff Commission right: 65 percent of participants believe it is very important that they are included in the introduction of new technology and digital processes. The general level of support for a future collective agreement is similarly high. Over 60 percent answered the question as to whether they support ver.di and the general works council with a clear yes. Almost half of those surveyed (47%) are very or very worried that the introduction of digital technologies and systems will change their workplace. Not even one in ten (9%) is completely unimpressed by it. Almost 40 percent of those surveyed are very or very worried about their own job being at risk. The respondents therefore vehemently put job and pay security (97%), support from managers (95%), qualifications (98%) as well as ergonomics (97%) and stress protection (98) on the agenda.This shows us clearly: the introduction of new technologies and systems requires the participation of employees…”Report from November 2020 from and at ver.di Handel 
• For background information on digitalization and the desired future collective agreement, see theIkea special page at ver.di Handel 
• “We don’t recognize our Ikea”: The furniture company wants to set up its business like Amazon – 86 percent of employees in Germany fear for their jobs
  “Inside Ikea: The Swedish furniture company is testing new store concepts, expanding logistics and relying heavily on online business. The big role model is Amazon. Business Insider spoke to employees from different locations and hierarchy levels. They fear that robots and apps will replace their jobs in the future. According to a representative survey by Verdi, 86 percent of employees are afraid of losing their jobs. When contacted by Business Insider, the company said there are no layoffs planned at this time. (…) "Since Ikea patriarch Ingvar Kamprad died, a lot of things have changed in the company - not for the better. The Kamprad sons are turning the company towards profit, profit and even more profit," says Gutlow. "We employees are afraid. We're afraid of losing our jobs. And we don't recognize our Ikea - it seems like a wolf in sheep's clothing today." (…) Ikea terminated its general operating agreement in Germany this year, the so-called “multi-channel agreement”. This allows company management to issue redundancies for operational reasons. Gutlow's fear of losing his job is shared by 86 percent of all Ikea employees in Germany. This emerges from a representative survey carried out by the Verdi union and the works councils in all German Ikea stores. (…) “The large furniture tanker is currently maneuvering itself into the digital age - and is planning to cut analog jobs.” The change for the workforce is coming gradually due to the “salami tactics” of the management, so they have hardly noticed what is coming. “Ikea is doing it smartly.And the employees - that's also part of the truth - stick to the motto: As long as it doesn't affect me directly, everything is good," says Kohler. (...) Employees, works councils and unions complain that Ikea has chosen a controversial role model for its own transformation: the US company Amazon. Anyone who wants to be at the forefront in the digital arena takes their cue from the online giant. However, Ikea employees also know about the working conditions of employees at Amazon, and they are afraid of that, says Kohler. (...) But these digital systems also have dark sides. The team leaders and management can see in real time how long employees complete their tasks. The performance curves of the employees can be aggregated for the day, for a month, for a whole year. The same applies to employees in logistics…”Article by Philip Kaleta from November 21, 2020 at Business Insider online 

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