3,000 extra La Poste staff... but not for deliveries

La Poste plans to hire new permanent staff as part of a restructuring that will see the group take on work such as checking on older people living alone, collecting recycling, overseeing learner drivers’ theory tests and even odd jobs in houses.

Delivery staff were previously allowed to go home once their rounds were done but, with fewer letters being sent, many were finished by noon and La Poste started talks with unions to find new ways of working and a new business model.
A spokesperson said: “We have to evolve and come up with new services. With around 73,000 delivery workers, we have a unique network of people on the ground and we want to exploit that.”

Services include Colissimo en Boîte aux Lettres where customers weigh, pay and label parcels at home before they are collected from their mailbox.
Veiller sur mes Parents sees post workers checking on frail people several times a week, while Recy’Go has them collecting waste paper and cardboard. Proxi-Equip involves small jobs such as fitting letterboxes or new digital TV receivers.