After 26 years, the outdated postal law is set for a comprehensive modernization. The traffic light coalition has agreed on a compromise that aims to improve working conditions for package deliverers and give Deutsche Post more time for letter delivery.

A central innovation concerns the working conditions of package delivery workers. The originally requested ban on sub-subcontractors by SPD and the Greens was not implemented. Instead, stringent control obligations are being introduced. Subcontractors must in the future maintain detailed information on working hours, which can be compared by authorities with data recorded during package deliveries to identify violations of the Working Hours Act.

Another contentious issue was the delivery of heavy packages. Packages weighing 20 kilograms or more should generally be delivered by two people. Exceptions are only possible if suitable technical aids are available. The Federal Ministry of Labor is to determine by regulation within the next six months what these aids can be.

The Postal Act dates back in its essential parts to the year 1998 and was last comprehensively reformed when online trade was still in its infancy and letters played a central role in everyday communication. Since then, demand has fundamentally changed: The number of letters has decreased, while the volume of parcels continues to rise.

Undisputed was the proposal of the federal government to give Deutsche Post more time for letter delivery in the future. So far, 80 percent of letters must be delivered the next working day and 95 percent the day after. In the future, this requirement will apply from the third day after the letter is posted. This allows the post office to reduce costs while also discontinuing night-time air transport of letters, which is a positive step for climate protection given the CO₂ emissions.

The German Post Welcomes the Agreement of the Traffic Light Coalition.

The draft law should now be implemented quickly: It is to be introduced into the Bundestag's Economic Committee as early as Wednesday and brought to the plenary by the end of the week. If the Bundesrat approves it in July, the law could be passed before the summer break.

The reform of the postal law marks an important step in adapting the legal framework to the changed market conditions and requirements of the modern communication and logistics sector.