News

Tens of thousands of Spanish postal workers were on strike 4 May, demanding the government stop blocking negotiations for a new collective agreement in Correos, the Spanish national postal operator. UNI affiliates CC.OO and UGT led the call among other unions which brought more than 85% of Spanish postal workers to the streets to demand an end to layoffs and for better pay and conditions.

Together, the unions are demanding an increase in total staffing in the post office. In the last years, more than 15,000 jobs have been eliminated in Correos, leading to increased stress and pressures on the job for those remaining workers. The unions claim the cost-cutting has done little to help the post and has only hastened a decline in service. Workers are also demanding an increase in pay and that their trade union rights be recognized in the workplace.

For months, the unions have fought with a united front for a new agreement in Correos, but the government and the employer have blocked progress at each step. Together, the unions have planned general strikes in the post office throughout the month of May. UNI Post & Logistics Head of Department Stephen DeMatteo said, "The whole UNI postal family stands in solidarity with our Spanish sisters and brothers as they take action to demand their rights. The workers have suffered enough, it's time for Correos to get serious and make progress at the bargaining table."