© Pedro Venancio
On Saturday, the mail carrier union hosted its national congress in Walferdange, where officials voiced their concerns over an uncertain future for the sector.
During their national congress in Walferdange, the mail carrier union focused on ways of improving their careers. According to union president Raymand Juchem, who was reelected on Saturday, there now seems to be a small light at the end of the tunnel after years of discussions with the government.
Minister for the Civil Service Marc Hansen has offered to meet with the union in the coming weeks to revisit their demands. Mail carriers feel at a disadvantage in terms of career regulations compared to police or customs officers. Juchem warned that more than 300 mail carriers are ready to take the issue to the court of administration.
The union further argued that the work conditions of mail carriers are suffering under the government's demands for digitalisation. There are also fears that new environmental laws targeting paper ads, which will come into effect in 2024, will lead to a decrease in revenue and endanger jobs in the sector.
Though mail carriers are still busy delivering parcels at present, their contract with retail giant Amazon is set to expire next year, which means more uncertainty for the sector.
The union made the case that their services are of "general economic interest", which is why the government should consider implementing a financial support rather than continuously changing their work conditions. Calls were also made for the closing and relocating of post branches to stop.
