/ 28 January 2005

Come hail, come snow …

Postal workers in the south-eastern French city of Saint Etienne refused to do their rounds on Thursday after they were denied extra pay to cope with the biting winter cold, employees and management said.

About 70 of the workers did not deliver mail to homes and businesses, and only six of the 64 rounds were carried out, the state-run La Poste said, adding that it considers the stoppage “illegal”.

The postal workers had demanded more money and the replacement of scooters with cars so they could carry out their job safely and more comfortably after days of snowfall. — AFP