Dispute at La Poste: Employees Expected to Make Up Hours Lost Due to Wildfires

Bordeaux – 04.08.2026: Following the severe wildfires in Gironde, a dispute has erupted at La Poste over how lost working time should be handled. More than 500 employees who were unable to work for several days due to evacuations, blocked access routes or closed facilities are expected to make up the missed hours later. Franceinfo reported this on Tuesday. Those affected have criticized the decision as unfair and described it as a double burden.

La Poste had already announced on July 27 that the fires in Gironde, as well as in the Landes and Var departments, were disrupting operations in several areas. Sites were closed or evacuated as a precaution, delivery routes were adjusted and temporarily suspended. This delayed the delivery of letters, newspapers and parcels; some postal services were temporarily available only to a limited extent.

According to the company, around 550 employees were directly affected by the consequences of the fires. Some stayed with relatives or acquaintances, while others received support from the company’s social services. In its statements, La Poste primarily highlighted protective measures for staff and the gradual resumption of key services. How the lost working time would be handled was initially not the main focus.

The arrangement that has now come to light is therefore meeting resistance. The employees argue that they did not stay away from work by their own choice, but had followed official instructions or had been unable to reach their workplaces. In their view, this shifts the operational consequences of an extraordinary hazardous situation onto staff. According to the report, unionized employees are demanding a different solution.

For the postal company, the conflict touches on a fundamental question of work organization after disasters: how should hours lost due to evacuations, access restrictions and precautionary site closures be treated? While later compensation may balance working-time accounts on paper, it increases the burden in the weeks following the return to regular operations. At the same time, delayed shipments must be processed and interrupted delivery routes reorganized.

The wildfires had significant effects on transport, supplies and public services in southwestern France. La Poste referred to ongoing adjustments aimed at protecting employees and stabilizing the distribution of letters and parcels again. As of Tuesday, the company had not issued a detailed public statement on the specific accounting of lost hours or on possible exceptions for particularly affected employees.