The Romanian Postal Workers Union (SLPR), affiliated to the National Trade Union Bloc (BNS), has launched a general strike, on the grounds that 18,000 of the more than 21,000 employees of the Romanian Post Office, i.e. a percentage of 90%, regardless of their position find out, regardless of responsibilities and seniority, from July 2024 they will have the minimum wage in the economy. The trade unionists demand an increase of 400 lei in the salaries of the employees and an increase in the loyalty bonus.
With the start of the general strike, nothing moved in the postal services. The management of the Romanian National Post Company reacted, as early as Sunday evening, with a counter-communication, in which they stated that the escalation of the labor conflict was artificial and assured that the pensions would be distributed on time, despite the protest.
The idea of the management of the Romanian Post Office to defuse the situation consisted, in fact, in sending some strike breakers from Bucharest. Trade unionists reported such situations at the Cluj Regional Logistic and Courier HUB of the Romanian Post, as well as at the Târgoviște Post Office. After the rigor scandals, it seems that things have calmed down.
In Galați, where more than 90% of the employees signed for the strike, there were no such “interferences” from Bucharest, and the activity was completely stopped, the leader of SLPR Galaţi, Adrian Tatu, informed us.
“The labor conflict was declared at ITM, the postmen stopped all work in Galati County. There were no events like those reported in other cities. Negotiations in Bucharest were also held on Sunday, but the version that the management came up with was 200 lei more from July 1, the date from which the minimum wage in the economy will increase anyway. We ask for a salary increase applied to the minimum for the economy that comes from July, we ask for the maximum grant of the loyalty increase that we request since 2019 for those with more than 25 years of experience, and we ask for the signing of the collective labor contract. In Romanian Post, there is no CCM from January 31, we don’t have any social protection”, the union leader of the postmen from Galați told us.
The situation is dynamic – a buzzword. On Monday, at 16:00, negotiations were scheduled at the headquarters of the Ministry of Research, Innovation and Digitization, with the participation of a delegation from the National Bank of Romania and the management of the Romanian Post Office.
It is certain that tens of thousands of Romanians who were waiting to receive, on the 1st of the month, their pension through the postal agents did not receive it. There was no day declared non-working, no national holiday, no Orthodox Easter and no Christmas, it was the postmen’s strike. The first time in history that pensions have been delayed for this reason.
