Criticism of the Union on Sunday Mail Delivery

"Do packages really need to be delivered on Sundays?" ask the employee representatives, pointing out that the Post would thus compete with the retail trade and the freight forwarding industry. And that the partially state-owned company still has room for improvement in terms of employee rights.

"The Post AG has so far not ensured that the working conditions at all subcontractors working for it were fair and in order," criticizes vida area representative Markus Petritsch. His message to the corporate management: "We therefore call on Post AG to finally fulfill its responsibility in this regard and to ensure good working conditions for all, regardless of the employment relationship."

The Post responded immediately to the union's statements: "We will carry out the Sunday delivery - as announced - with our own staff, for this we are hiring additional employees and offering employment under the Post collective agreement," the company said on Thursday afternoon. The Post enables flexible working time models - for example, Sunday, Saturday plus Sunday, or Sunday plus three weekdays. "In Vienna alone, we have hired around 70 additional employees and created new jobs, and we plan to do the same in Linz and Graz," emphasized a company spokesperson.

The alleged competitive situation with the retail trade is "not comprehensible." Packages delivered on Sunday must be ordered by Saturday at the latest - and on that day, the retail trade is open. An online order placed on Sunday will also only be delivered from Monday onwards. "On Sunday, there is simply no competitive situation between online trade and retail trade," said the Post.

Sunday Delivery in Graz and Linz Following Vienna

The Post announced at the beginning of April that it would expand its Sunday delivery. The project started in October 2024, initially in the four Vienna districts of Innere Stadt, Leopoldstadt, Landstraße, and Wieden. By the end of April, nine more Vienna districts were added, and at the beginning of the second half of 2025, Graz and Linz are to follow. However, the postwoman or postman will only ring on Sunday if the senders are willing to pay a surcharge.

(APA/Red)

This article has been automatically translated, read the original article here.