No, the Christmas packages do not arrive neither in sleigh nor thanks to Santa Claus’ elves, but human and working people with working conditions that, sometimes, do not correspond to their expectations. That is the opinion, at least, of the workers of Correos España, who have begun an indefinite strike today to protest their working conditions.
The protest, which could last until January 10, has been called by the CGT union and denounces the work overload suffered by employees and demands an increase in staff to face the Christmas campaign. The strike will affect all shifts and work centers in the province of Barcelona, following the example of other cities such as Madrid, Zaragoza and Lleida.
Christmas deliveries, the workers’ problem
From the CGT they point out that the situation in the work centers is “unsustainable” in these dates, marked by the increase in the volume of delivery, especially due to Black Friday shopping and Christmas holidays. According to the CGT, Correos is not covering vacancies arising from retirements, temporary disabilities and voluntary transfers, which generates an “unbearable increase in workloads”.
The union also criticizes the fact that Correos gives priority to the delivery of packages from large multinationals, which causes delays in the delivery of other communications, such as administrative notifications or fines, which in many cases arrive after the deadline, making it difficult for those affected to file appeals in time.
How does the postal strike affect you?
The strike will apply to all shifts and work centers in the province of Barcelona. It will include both delivery staff and those in offices and logistics centers. This means that there may be interruptions in sorting, distribution and customer service.
Correos is obliged to establish minimum services to guarantee the delivery of certain essential items, such as administrative notifications, urgent communications or legal documentation (e.g. judicial or electoral notifications).
However, these minimum services should not be used to maintain the massive parcel delivery operations of large multinationals, so it is precisely these types of shipments that will be affected.