Between Isère and Savoie, the postal workers of the Domène and Pontcharra sectors, that is to say a good part of Grésivaudan, have been on indefinite strike since January 11, 2021. They demand the end of the reorganizations in progress, denounce the reduction of opening hours in public in particular.
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After the closure this autumn of Brignoud (Villard-Bonnot), it is the post offices of Goncelin, Allevard, Touvet which will reduce their opening hours to the public in the coming months. The whole valley of Grésivaudan, which connects Isère to Savoy, seems to be affected by these reorganizations.
“The Goncelin office will go from 31 opening hours to 3 p.m., and Allevard will close every Wednesday and Saturday. We know very well that the Post Office, when it reduces hours, will announce closures. In one or two years, she will be able to tell elected officials, you see your office, there are fewer and fewer people, so it must be closed! ” explains Jérôme Hamel, striking postman and Sud-PTT Isère-Savoie union representative.
The commune of Goncelin, with 2,400 inhabitants, has already lost two banks. The post office therefore remains the only place where Postal Bank customers can withdraw their money.
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“We had two ticket machines, we have nothing left. I asked the Post Office to install one, I was told no it is not possible, not enough daily withdrawals. And there they even want to take away the Postal Bank?“exclaims Françoise Midali, the mayor of Goncelin.
“How will the elderly who do not have a vehicle to get to the nearest office ?! I am scandalized when I see people lining up in front of the Post Office every day. We are in total contradiction with what the State is asking: to limit our movements “ she adds.
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This January 11, in front of the office of Goncelin, the elected representatives of Grésivaudan, from the right as from the left, came in large numbers to support the strikers. They believe that they have not been sufficiently consulted by the Post Office about these reorganizations.
“There is a top-down approach. La Poste decides and elected officials execute. But that’s not how things should be!“protested Henri Baile, president of the Community of Communes of Grésivaudan (43 communes, more than 100,000 inhabitants).
He pursues : “on the Petites Roches plateau, you have people at the RSA who cannot easily get down to Grenoble. If you close the Post Office up there, you isolate them! “
Between Isère and Savoie, the Grésivaudan Post offices will reduce their hours
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This January 12, the postal workers of Grésivaudan, on indefinite strike, went to meet the management in Grenoble. A delegation of about twenty strikers asked to be received. Without success.
A significant drop in attendance?
By press release, the Regional Post Office informed us that the drop in attendance is “particularly strong“on the Grésivaudan valley. 21% in Goncelin since 2015, 50% in Touvet since 2016.
“Mail volumes and counter traffic continue to decline, these major trends have accelerated with the health crisis“. “We must therefore rethink our presence and adapt it within the framework of sound management“explains the Regional Management.
“The postal presence contract stipulates that as part of our public service mission for regional planning, 90% of the population must be within 5 kms and 20 minutes by car of a point of contact. In Isère , this rate is 97.1%“.
Management adds that these “time adjustments have no consequences for employment “.
The strikers plan to gather this January 13 at 5.30 p.m. in front of the Community of Communes of Grésivaudan.
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