Tag: La Poste

French postal services were hit by a strike Thursday to protest jobs cuts, the closure of post offices and working conditions.

Some 15 percent of postal workers joined the strike called by all of the mail service’s unions, the postal service said.

According to Jean-Paul Bailly, chairman of La Poste, the French national postal services group is launching one of its new Point Poste outlets every day. Shop owners who choose to set up a Point Poste sign an agreement with La Poste which allows them to act as managing agents for courier services and parcel deliveries, and to offer cash withdrawals of up to 150 euros a week. For this they receive 130 euros a month, as well as commissions on the products sold. About 50 French departments now have about 150 Points Poste between them.

The French senate has passed a bill to liberalise the country’s postal services.

The legislation will allow rivals to establish alternative postal services, initially for letters and, from next year, the state postal monopoly to set up banking and insurance operations.