Busy Christmas season approaches, but Post Office workers say nothing has been done to get them back on the job

As industrial action continues among workers at the General Post
Office and its respective branches, not only is local mail delivery
being affected, but it is having implications internationally, as well.

The employees are protesting against health and safety issues,
including moldy buildings, poor ventilation and vermin infestation.
They say they are being forced to work in inhumane and deplorable
conditions – the same longstanding complaints that forced General
Post Office workers onto the protest line in the past.

The Christmas season is usually a very busy period for the post
offices, given the higher volume of mail and parcels coming into the
country.

Accordingly, Shop Steward Aisha Murraine is disappointed that, up
to this time, the Government has done nothing to address the
workers’ concerns.

She says the office still has a musty odour, since mold remains in the
building and the roof at the headquarters is still leaking.
Murraine says the action being taken by the workers impacts every
postal substation on the island, as well as Barbuda.

Additionally, she says that international business is bring affected,
since no workers are in place to sort and send out the mail.

Therefore, it remains untouched at the General Post Office, unless
management has picked up the slack to get this important job done.
Meanwhile, Murraine says the workers’ position remains the same:
that is, they are staying out of the building until their conditions are
met.

The shop steward says they do not want this action to drag out any
longer and are appealing to the authorities to quickly locate a
building from which they can resume work.

However, if this cannot be done, the workers will stay off the job –
either remaining at home or showing up at the post office to sign in
and then standing outside.

Apparently, in 2016, there was a proposal for the upgrade of the
premises; but since then, nothing has been done to improve the
agency.

Reportedly, the union representing the workers had submitted to
the management a document that gave a Friday, October 20, 2023,
deadline by which to address their issues.

But all that happened, reportedly, is that the staff were asked to put
in a half-day’s work.