Paris postal workers urged to strike

The French trade unions CFDT, FO and SUD-PTT have called on postal workers in Paris to begin an open-ended strike today in protest against job cuts and deteriorating working conditions. The SUD argues that, since the beginning of the year, 400 jobs have either been shed or earmarked to be shed in seven of the French capital’s mail distribution centres, while working hours have become more anti-social. The FO union, meanwhile, has said that the decision by the French post office, La Poste, to focus on profitability is hardly compatible with its public-service role. As a result, the union has asked candidates in France’s upcoming regional elections for their views on the future of the nation’s public postal services and the maintenance of post offices in rural areas.