“Colleagues are especially afraid that the holiday season will make them plunge again or deeper into work overload.” A Syndicom survey, carried out between May and August among La Poste staff, in the regions of Jura, Neuchâtel, Bienne and Fribourg, reveals that nearly 77% of postal workers feel overworked, while 76% testify to “excessive” fatigue. The cause: a lack of staff and poor workforce planning, according to the union.
In periods of overload, work weeks can be extremely long, sometimes exceeding the legal 50 hours of work per week, notes the union. Among all employees surveyed, 87% say it has an impact on their family life, sometimes forcing them to give up time with their spouse and children. To the point that 65% of employees in the Jura region “often” or “very often” think about leaving their job.
Syndicom intervened last December with La Poste: “Commitments have taken place, the situation has calmed slightly, but remains critical, particularly in Fribourg.” The union, which knows that parcels will be even more numerous from Black Friday (November 29), is asking the yellow giant to hire staff and respect the 42 hours of work stipulated in the CCT.
“We take the concerns of our employees very seriously. Their health is our top priority. We will examine the results of the investigation in depth,” responded La Poste. The latter cannot comment on the figures, having been informed neither of the manner in which the survey was conducted nor of its results.
Aware that the pace is “intense” this season, the yellow giant, which ensures compliance with the CCT in force, specifies that “overtime worked during peak periods at the end of the year can be compensated subsequently”. In addition, it will be able to count on around 500 temporary employees who will come in to help during the holiday period.
Based on the results of an internal survey conducted each year, the company affirms that “general satisfaction is generally stable”. As for a potential strengthening of the workforce, La Poste is sticking to “the 150 postmen recently hired in the Jura arc, an increase of around 10% of the workforce in the region”.
