French postal strike turnout ''small'' says La Poste
La Poste management said that yesterday’s strike in France by sorting centre and delivery workers was “little followed” and caused only “limited and localised” disruption to mail services.
The French state postal operator said it had monitored the attendance of workers at midday yesterday and observed that only 12% of sorting centre staff and 4% of postmen and postwomen had failed to turn up for work.
The unions which called the strike, Sud PTT, Force Ouvrière and CGT, have not yet officially commented on the turnout.
Postal workers have been striking in scores of sorting centres – including major facilities in Bordeaux, Lyon, Toulouse and Rouen – since October to protest about changes in working hours which, they say, will see them performing more night shift hours without pay increases.
The sorting centre workers are demanding a rise in the rate of additional pay for night shifts from EUR 1,22 to EUR 3 an hour. La Poste offered them EUR 1.5, and a EUR 50 bonus to delivery workers with atypical hours, during talks that began last week and are due to last until the end of March.
If the La Poste figures on the strike’s turnout are accurate, they are in stark contrast to one held last November, which unions said was followed by over 30% of employees.
