Postal strike in southwest France enters second day

A postal strike in southwest France is delaying some parcel deliveries in and around Bordeaux after two days of disruption.

Postal workers at parcel sorting centres in Bordeaux and Saint-Médard-en-Jalles went on strike yesterday (November 2), with the action repeated today (November 3). Strike action began at 06:00 this morning.

Parcels in the area are likely to arrive late over the next few days as a result.

‘Job versatility’

The strike was initiated by the unions CGT and Sud, with workers calling for annual bonuses to be paid to make up for ‘low pay’. Workers at the sorting centre in Saint-Médard-en-Jalles are demanding an annual payment of €650 for all workers who “sort and/or distribute parcels”.

At the Bordeaux centre, workers are calling for an extra bonus of €7 per day.

Trade unions say that the bonus is justified due to "the versatility that the job requires", as postal workers in sorting centres do not have assigned sections, and “instead have to move around all the time”, said CGT rep Jean-Louis Debas to France 3.

He said: “These bonuses already exist, we are not even asking for the creation of a new bonus.” He added that the strike action had been “very well supported”, and highlighted that “since the opening of the site four years ago, this is the first time that we’ve had a strike action like this”.

In Bordeaux, more than 60% of staff were on strike this morning (31 out of 50 workers), the unions said. Of the afternoon workers, five out of 15 workers are set to take part.

At the sorting centre in Saint-Médard, the postal workers used a different strategy. Six out of seven parcel distributors were on strike this morning, having walked out for an hour. They repeated the operation several times, to slow down parcel distribution.

Workers are ‘suffocating’

CGT rep Mr Debas said: “It’s important to remember that the low salary increases granted by La Poste do not even cover inflation.

“It’s also important to remember that a postal worker in the parcel delivery section barely earns the minimum wage upon first hiring, and earns an average of €1,400 net salary after 15 years of service.”

He said that the calls are not about “getting rich”, but that workers are “suffocating…and need breathing space”.

Managers at La Poste have so far declined to comment on the situation.

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