Correos staff face mounting pressure amid electoral scrutiny

• Mail carriers in Spain are demanding increased staffing and resources to handle the upcoming general election on November 29.
• Political rhetoric questioning the integrity of mail-in voting has sparked concerns about the safety and professional reputation of postal employees.
• Unions report that the company has lost over 20,000 jobs this century, leaving current personnel with excessive workloads and precarious conditions.

Workplace Safety and Political Climate

• Postal unions have condemned recent political statements from figures such as Isabel Díaz Ayuso and Santiago Abascal, arguing that such rhetoric fuels hostility toward staff.
• High-profile incidents of verbal and physical abuse against workers occurred during previous elections, leading to fears that workers will be targets for harassment.
• Unions argue that the failure to protect staff from misinformation campaigns undermines the dignity of a public service essential for democratic participation.

Union Demands and Institutional Response

• CCOO and UGT are calling on Correos president Pedro Saura to abandon staff cuts and initiate urgent hiring plans to manage the electoral surge.
• CGT highlights that the current staffing crisis is systemic, resulting from years of austerity rather than just temporary electoral demands.
• UGT emphasizes that besides electoral logistics, management must address broader unresolved labor issues regarding wages, work schedules, and career paths as promised in the 2024 Framework Agreement.

Operational Challenges

• The postal service is already struggling with significant backlogs, such as the thousands of pending deliveries in Marbella, due to unstaffed positions and vacation gaps.
• Managing the full lifecycle of electoral documents—including admission, sorting, transport, and secure delivery—requires substantial operational support that unions argue is currently missing.