Our business success depends to a large extent on our employees. With their experience and passion for logistics, they ensure that BLG LOGISTICS as a company never stands still. For us it is a matter of course that each individual is treated with equal respect and nobody is subject to discrimination. For us, fair working conditions also include transparent and competitive wages and salaries in line with collective agreements.
In addition to our own business divisions, we also give consideration to the people along our supply chains who are closely associated with our services.
Fair working conditions and respect for human rights are irrevocable cornerstones of our corporate actions and, as such, also characterize our relations with our suppliers.
Clear structures for labor and human rights
In the reporting year, we created the position of human rights officer, which is held by the head of our central Sustainability department. Appointed by the Board of Management, the human rights officer acts as a point of contact for employees and suppliers in all matters relating to human rights risks and violations, while also liaising with the Board of Management.
This involves continuous optimization of preventive and remedial measures to minimize risks and prevent violations, as well as regular and ad-hoc reporting to the Board of Management on matters relevant to human rights. In fulfilling the human rights due diligence obligations, the human rights officer cooperates closely with other concerned departments. Our approach is described in detail in the Sustainability Management section.
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Germany |
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USA |
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South Africa |
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Poland |
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9,295 employees |
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210 employees |
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580 employees |
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51 employees |
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total |
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of whom male |
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of whom female in % |
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total |
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of whom male |
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of whom female in % |
|
total |
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of whom male |
|
of whom female in % |
|
total |
|
of whom male |
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of whom female in % |
Employment contract |
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|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
permanent |
|
90.6 |
|
72.6 |
|
27.4 |
|
97.6 |
|
66.3 |
|
33.7 |
|
90.5 |
|
77.0 |
|
23.0 |
|
88.2 |
|
64.4 |
|
35.6 |
temporary |
|
9.4 |
|
72.7 |
|
27.3 |
|
2.4 |
|
80.0 |
|
20.0 |
|
9.5 |
|
45.5 |
|
54.5 |
|
11.8 |
|
83.3 |
|
16.7 |
Employee type |
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|
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|
|
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|
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full-time (100%) |
|
89.7 |
|
76.2 |
|
23.8 |
|
100 |
|
66.7 |
|
33,3 |
|
90.5 |
|
77.0 |
|
23.0 |
|
96.1 |
|
65.3 |
|
34.7 |
part-time (<100%) |
|
10.3 |
|
41.4 |
|
58.6 |
|
0 |
|
0 |
|
0 |
|
9.5 |
|
45.5 |
|
54.5 |
|
3.9 |
|
100 |
|
0 |
Employment contracts, wages and salaries
At December 31, 2023, BLG LOGISTICS employed 10,136 people worldwide in our fully consolidated entities. The majority of our employees, at 90.7 percent, is employed on a permanent basis. In the reporting year, 90 percent of our workforce worked full-time. As in previous years, women made up the largest group of part-time employees with 58.2 percent – with Germany again accounting for the highest proportion of part-time employees in 2023 at 10.3 percent. However, in South Africa the ratio rose from 5.6 percent to 9.5 percent in the reporting year and is therefore at a comparable level.
In 2023, we continued to categorize our workforce into women and men only; however, we are aware that not everybody self-identifies with one of these two genders. To date, only a few of our own employees have identified as diverse. As they currently account for a proportion of less than 0.1 percent of the total workforce, we do not yet explicitly include this group in our statistics, partly to avoid any conclusions regarding individual persons. However, in the interests of equal representation, we are continuing to monitor this aspect.
Our employees are paid on the basis of the collective agreements applicable in our industry and at the respective locations, or in individual cases at comparable rates. We also support collective bargaining regulations in our foreign companies that enable transparent and fair working conditions. It goes without saying that the statutory minimum wage applies to both our own employees and temporary agency workers. Everyone has the right to freedom of association and collective bargaining. In 2023, the proportion of our employees in Germany integrated into a collective bargaining system stood unchanged at 97.7 percent. As part of the development and revision of our ESG targets, we have stipulated that 100 percent of our own employees and temporary workers should be covered by collective agreements or have at least a comparable wage level.
The collective employment protection agreement concluded in May 2022 for the employees at our Bremerhaven car terminal remained valid in the reporting year. The agreement, which was negotiated with the involvement of the local collective bargaining committee and the ver.di trade union and has a term of 24 months, contains comprehensive assurances on job security and the protection of our employees that reach far beyond the term of the collective agreement. In return, the employees have contributed additional working hours over 24 months and waived part of their wage increase.
We wish to be mindful of our employees’ needs in all life situations and therefore provide targeted support with reconciling career and family. In addition to the possibility to work part-time, BLG LOGISTICS offers additional options through flextime models as well as remote working to help employees find the best possible work-life balance. In the reporting year, it was decided not to pursue the existing certification by berufundfamilie Service GmbH aimed at implementing a family-conscious human resources (HR) policy. The recommendations from the audits carried out in previous years have been successfully implemented. The capacity freed up by the expiry of the certification will instead be invested in further developing the topics.
Codetermination and one BLG for all
The megatrends automation and digitalization are reshaping the economy, and do not stop at the gates of the logistics sector. We see these changes as an opportunity that we want to seize. At the same time, we are striving to manage the transformation in a socially acceptable way and involve our employees in every step of the journey.
In 2020, initial talks began on a possible collective agreement to regulate the repercussions of automation and digitalization processes, after having previously concluded such an agreement at EUROGATE in 2018. Put on hold during the coronavirus pandemic, the ongoing exchange shows how diverse the approach to implementing such projects at BLG LOGISTICS can be. The situation is currently being reevaluated in dialog with the operating partners to clarify how a regulation under collective bargaining law can provide guidelines for the design of these projects.
Practiced codetermination is an integral part of our corporate culture. We promote dialog with our employees and attach great importance to respectful collaboration. This builds on mutual trust and a strong representation of interests by the works councils and the employee representatives on the Supervisory Board. The resulting exchanges are both valuable and rewarding for the entire company. In the reporting year, newly elected works councils were constituted for the first time at three locations – Falkensee, Verden and Cologne.
Equal integration for temporary agency workers
In the logistics sector, fluctuations in the order situation are commonplace. For BLG LOGISTICS, this means that we have to rely on agency employees as a backup during order peaks or very short-term contracts. Here, we work exclusively with service providers that meet the minimum wage requirements. We guarantee the contractually agreed work assignment flexibility for both groups – temporary workers and own employees – in equal measure. This also includes short-term notice of work assignments, overtime or weekend work. It goes without saying that we adhere at all times to the principle of “equal pay for equal work” in line with the requirements of the German Temporary Employment Act (Arbeitnehmerüberlassungsgesetz – AÜG).
With regard to compliance with human rights due diligence obligations under the German Supply Chain Due Diligence Act (LkSG), we also consider the working conditions of our temporary workers and, where applicable, contract workers, alongside those of our own employees.
We welcome it when we are able to take employees from agencies and personnel service providers into permanent employment and give them preference when additional positions need to be filled – in the reporting year, 338 of them became “fully-fledged” members of BLG. As of December 31, 2023, we employed 83.2 percent own staff in Germany, 4 percent employees from the Central German Seaport Operators (Gesamthafenbetrieb – GHB) and 12.8 percent employees from other personnel service providers. This corresponded to a decrease of 6.5 percentage points for temporary agency staff compared to 2022.
Human rights along the supply chain
We consider respecting human and labor rights to be an integral aspect of our corporate social responsibility, both with respect to working conditions within our own operating divisions and in cooperation with direct suppliers, subcontractors and business partners. We are also committed to ensuring that rights are upheld along the entire supply chain.
In the reporting year, BLG LOGISTICS GROUP AG & Co. KG for the first time fell within the scope of the German Supply Chain Due Diligence Act (LkSG). This shifted the BLG-wide management processes to promote human rights back into the focus, which were adapted where necessary. For example, the existing grievance system was extended to take account of the provisions of the LkSG. In order to raise awareness of human rights issues among our employees, we again offered a corresponding training course in 2023.
All processes for complying with the due diligence obligations under the LkSG are described in a BLG-specific LkSG manual. This serves as a guide for employees involved in implementation and contains an overview of the legal requirements, the defined roles and responsibilities and detailed descriptions relating to the specific implementation of the individual due diligence obligations at BLG LOGISTICS. The LkSG is updated on an ongoing basis and in 2024 will also be adapted to optimized processes such as the planned software-based risk analysis. For more information on how we fulfill our due diligence obligations, see the sections on Risk Management, Sustainable Supply Chain and Compliance.
Fluctuation as a metric
Employee fluctuation acts as a barometer for measuring employee satisfaction. How happy our employees feel in their job is also economically relevant, because recruiting and onboarding new colleagues is time- and cost-intensive. In 2023, 608 employees left us at their own request. Compared with the previous year, the rate thus again increased from 5.0 percent to 6.4 percent. This trend is strengthened by the general shortage of skilled labor, which is opening up new prospects on the job market for many people. To help us understand our employees’ individual reasons for switching jobs, we conduct exit interviews as a standard procedure, which give us pointers for measures that could be implemented in the future.
Support in individually challenging situations
Our company social counseling service is available to our employees and their families at our Bremen and Bremerhaven sites. This offers employees advice and support in a wide range of challenging situations, including personal stress at work, family problems, psychosomatic complaints, acute life crises and addictions. A total of 76 employees took advantage of the offering and were supported in corresponding counseling sessions, equating to a rate of 2.8 percent of the employees falling within the service’s area of responsibility. We also offer our employees subsidies for dental prostheses, homeopathic treatment and hearing aids, as well as for rest and respite leave, which are funded by the employer-financed support association, BLG LOGISTICS GROUP e.V.