Postal workers in Chile are today returning to work after accepting a pay offer that ends theirall-out strike after three weeks.
Correos de Chile announced that a “satisfactory” agreement had been reached with staff which “permits us to re-establish parcel and mail services with effect from Thursday, August 29”. Serviceshad been suspended during the dispute.
Staff voted by 82% to accept a pay offer negotiated with unions last week that will result in a15% pay increase, including various benefits. Workers will receive a 40,000 peso (€59) monthlyincrease and diverse other improvements, including a one-off payment of 1 million pesos (€1,470),and will have three-year contracts in future.
Some 4,600 postal workers out of the 5,000-strong Correos workforce launched the strike onAugust 7 demanding a 50,000 peso (€74) pay increase per month. They held numerous demonstrations,protests and marches across the country.
CorreosChile director general Pablo Montané commented: “This is a historic agreement that willstrengthen us because we have drawn it up jointly and which enables us to look ahead withoptimism.”
He stressed the immediate priority was to sort and deliver the large backlog of mail and parcelsthat had built up over the last three weeks. “Our customers are the priority today. All our energyis being put into working together to re-establish our operations as quickly as possible, to leavebehind the inconvenience created by this situation and to deliver the best possible service,” hedeclared.
