Strikes at 5,000 German Post Offices

Some 5,000 of Germany’s 13,000 post offices shut down temporarily Wednesday due to strikes against plans to close hundreds of branches, the Verdi public services union said.

Deutsche Post, the German postal service, has not ruled out shuttering 1,000 branch offices as part of a major bid to cut costs, which according to the Westfalen Blatt newspaper would put at least 3,600 postal workers on the street.

Tuesday’s strikes hit all of the offices still owned by the company. The remaining 8,000 post counters are located in supermarkets and private shops.

Forced by a communications authority ruling to lower prices on stamps, the privatized company’s main source of revenue, Deutsche Post has launched a vast austerity drive.

Verdi has demanded clear information about the plans and their impact on the work force.