Around 300 post office workers to strike until Friday

Around 300 postal delivery officers, members of the Isotita union, have decided to strike until Friday.

According to the Cyprus News Agency, the union said issues, primarily centred on increases in overtime hours, have affected post office workers for years.

The president of Isotita’s post office delivery branch Panayi said on Monday that the gradual increase in overtime hours led to professional disempowerment and job insecurity among post office workers.

He also added that members of the union have collectively agreed to abstain from overtime work from January 2.

The announcement of the strike took place during a protest held at the entrance of Nicosia, near the Kalispera traffic lights.

According to Panayi, the union notified the general directorate of the Cyprus postal services of the ongoing issues in June 2023 through a letter and again in November 2023, seeking a meeting to resolve the differences.

“Over the span of six months, no one contacted us, so we decided to take action and came to the decision that, from January 1, we will abstain from overtime work. There are many serious issues in the sector. We gave the directorate the chance to contact us and they never did,” he said.

He added that safety and traffic are among the primary concerns for post deliverers.

According to Panayi, statistical data from released by the road transport department in 2022 indicate that 11 per cent of post deliveries have accidents annually.

Moreover, he noted that statistics from 2012 to 2023 show a 100 per cent increase in the number of vehicles on the roads, increasing the risk of accidents for postal distributors.

He further added that based on statistics, peak hours have increased from four to eight hours from 2012 to date, also escalating the risk of accidents.

Regarding weather conditions, Panayi stressed that postal workers are continuously exposed to intense heat and dust exceeding permissible limits, especially during the summer months.

“This is why post deliverers are advocating for hazardous work compensation and for better overtime pay,” Panayi concluded.