35,000 postal workers begin 10-day strike in Romania

Some 35,000 postal workers on Monday began a 10-day strike in Romania to demand higher salaries, paralyzing mail delivery and payments of pensions and child benefit.

“We apologize to everyone but please understand that this action is unavoidable,” Mariana Kniesner, a senior union leader at the National Trade Union Bloc told Realitataea TV. “The whole Romanian Postal Service is on strike.”

Postal workers, who earn an average monthly salary of 6.3 million lei (USD225; EUR175), are demanding a pay rise of 16 percent.

Managers say that they cannot afford the raise and point to the fact that spending at the post office is monitored a Romanian government agreement with the International Monetary Fund.

Shortly before the strike began, managers offered employees a 3-percent raise which the trade union refused. Managers said they would try and get the strike declared illegal in court.

The strike began at midnight Sunday, and all post offices across Romania were closed Monday, said Marian Ciubeica, another union leader.

If the workers’ salary demands are still not met after 10 days, union leaders will decide what further action to take. Unions have threatened in the past to strike, but the action was never carried through.

The strike will halt all mail delivery, money transfers and payments of government pensions, disability and child benefits handled by Romania’s post offices, Bratianu said. Customers also will be unable to pay their utility bills at post offices.

Union leaders argue that the Romania Postal Service is profitable, and that their demands would cost an extra USD8 million (EUR5.9 million) this year.