The parcel activities of French postal operator La Poste were affected by a national 24-hourstrike yesterday organised by the country’s seven unions to fight for better employment, working
conditions, wages and career development but there were conflicting figures about how many staffactually joined the strike.According to the management of ColiPoste, the domestic parcels business of La Poste, only about10% of its employees responded to the strike call by the CGT, SUD Ptt, FO, CFDT, CFTC, CGC and UnsaColiposte unions. ColiPoste employs 6,300 staff as part of the 240,000 persons working for theFrench postal operator in total.
The strike concerned only the parcel operations of La Poste, the management stressed to Frenchmedia. “The group’s other businesses (mail, post offices, express parcels and financial services)are not affected by this strike.”
But the CGT and SUD Ptt claimed that the strike movement was followed by 70% of the workers incertain services, especially at parcel-sorting platforms including the regions of Cavaillon, Massy,Rennes or Gennevilliers.
In their joint statement, the unions declared: “In spite of the crisis during these past years,volumes and profits generated from parcel operations have been constantly increasing while theworking conditions of employees have constantly degraded. This cannot go on any longer! Theexploitation of all the workers (clerks, contractual staff, temp workers and sub-contractors) bythe management must come to an end.”
The core claims of the movement related to decreasing deployment at ColiPoste. “In four years,1,322 jobs were lost at ColiPoste while the activity hasn’t stopped growing and the turnover isalso rising steadily,” Gérard Loubes from CGT stressed.
According to Gaëlle Differ, responsible for SUD, the parcel volumes at La Poste increase 2-2.5%per year while employment has been declining for several years in the range of 6-7% (in 2011) forstaff in controlling and executive positions.
CGT has called on the other unions to organise a national day of action at the end of January orin the beginning of February next year. The tension has notably increased after a new suicide of apostal worker occured in Fère, located in the Aisne department in the region of Picardie, on 31October 2012.
