In the tough electoral battle of 23-J, a new and unexpected trench has emerged: Correos. The exchange of accusations between the PP and PSOE for the management of voting by mail, after statements by Alberto Nuñez Feijóo in which he hinted at obstruction by the management of the public company, continued yesterday, the same day on which the deadline for requesting this type of vote ended.
There were long queues at the Correos offices, both of people who used up the last few hours to request it, and of voters who were going to deposit their ballot before going on holiday. In Carrer Castellnou, in Barcelona, there was a wait of more than 45 minutes, where Eric, aged 20, explained that the ballot, which he applied for a week ago, arrived yesterday. I had gone to the office in the morning but there were so many people that I decided to come back in the afternoon... only to find that the line was just as long or longer. Others were not so patient. Alejandro, father of a family, left the office saying "I'll come another day".
The challenge for Correos is huge: a record 2.5 million voters - according to the unions' calculations - have asked to vote remotely. It represents 8% of the census. In the last general elections, in 2019, 997,530 petitions were processed; in April of the same year, which coincided with Easter, there were 1.3 million.
From the day Pedro Sánchez announced that he was bringing forward elections to July 23, the PP was critical. "He wants the Spanish to choose between the polls or the holidays," said Feijóo.
The current president is Juan Manuel Serrano, a personal friend of Sánchez and former chief of staff of the federal executive commission of the PSOE.
The popular leader infuriated the Socialists on Wednesday when he urged Correos workers to do their best, "regardless of the bosses", so that no one is left without being able to vote. Feijóo qualified his words yesterday: "Nobody talks about slouching", he said. As he said, he was referring to "the allegations of the UGT and CC.OO., who know what they are talking about".
Sánchez accused Feijóo of trying to "smudge" the campaign, and the spokeswoman for the PSOE's federal executive commission, Pilar Alegría, called it "unworthy" that he "attempts to cast doubt" on the vote by mail.
One of the most critical voices with the situation of Correos has been that of Regino Martín, of CC.OO., president of the works committee, who has known Feijóo since his time at the company. The popular leader described Martín as his “only communist friend” at the 2022 PP congress.
The unions have condemned the "lack of planning" of Correos, which has caused an overload of work. Between 20% and 25% of the workforce is on vacation. There are 9,000-11,000 workers less than 45,000. The company has announced 20,240 reinforcement contracts, a number that has been increasing in recent days. The unions are skeptical: "Many workers have signed two linked contracts, so the actual number of contracted employees is much lower," says Fina Muñoz, head of the CGT Correos in Barcelona.
With her trolley full of papers and her face looking tired, the delivery girl Ángela Mata said yesterday at the Balmes office in Barcelona that she was not giving "the scope". “They have hired anyone for something as serious as this. I spend all day distributing because those who have hired do not know how to do it", he complained.
From the UGT they calculate that of the total of 2.5 million requests, the documentation has already been delivered to 1.5 million voters. One million is missing, which must be received by Sunday the 16th, the deadline. They have until July 20 to vote in an office. Post office employees have to verify the voter's identity, which lengthens the process.
On Saturday, exceptionally, 1,966 offices across the country will open, and another 276 on Sunday. The distributions are also reinforced. "I am confident that we will achieve it, but it will only be thanks to the extra effort of the Post Office workers, who have shown professionalism and willingness to serve the public", points out Rubén Valdés, head of the postal sector of the UGT in Catalonia, who regrets that "the Correos workers for political purposes, either by Mr. Feijóo or from the central government".
A postman from the Balearic Islands explains that the "big problem" of the current campaign is that the Post Office's job vacancies are empty. The regulations, tightened a couple of years ago "due to union pressure", eliminate from that remaining any possible worker who resigns from a position in the Post Office if he does not prove that he is employed by another company. Until then, the justification was looser. "It is clear that on my island they will find practically no one in the middle of the tourist season". Your office is below 70% staffed, taking into account layoffs, vacations, and reinforcements.
This post office employee estimates that "the postal vote campaign will go ahead", among other things because each management of a postal vote is rewarded with 0.02 euros (the delivery of electoral propaganda, with 0.065). The problem, he adds, is "what we are postponing: administrative and judicial notifications, fines... documentation that in many cases have penalized deadlines".
