Outrage in Guadalhorce valley town with post delivery backlog of more than 14,000 letters and 5,000 official notifications

"We don't receive our post so we have to come to the post office to pick them up ourselves, and that's if they open the door," complained one resident about the service in Alhaurín de la Torre in Malaga's Guadalhorce valley. Problems with deliveries are leading to situations such as surcharges on tax or fee payments, or missed medical appointments, among others, according to those affected.

The workers’ union, CC OO, explained that, specifically between Alhaurín de la Torre and Churriana - towns with approximately 45,000 and 22,000 inhabitants respectively - more than 14,000 letters, 5,000 notifications (many of them already past their delivery dates), and 200 parcels have piled up undelivered. This situation, they claim, is due to a serious shortage of staff, with the workforce operating at less than 60 per cent of its full capacity.

"This lack of staff causes job insecurity and makes it impossible to fulfil the obligations that the post office has as a public operator," claimed the union, which added that, in August 2024, five positions were cut from the morning shift along with their respective sections and sorting desks, “without any criteria or justification whatsoever".

The union argued that the overload to which the professionals in this service are subjected, on the one hand, multiplies health problems, from physical to stress and anxiety, and on the other hand, increases the risk of occupational accidents.

"These shortcomings are causing serious harm to the citizens of these localities, who are not receiving their mail on time, including notifications from the public administration, medical appointments, social security rulings, unemployment benefits, payment of taxes.... It is common to see individuals going to the post office to get the mail they are not receiving at home," explained the CC OO, which states it has repeatedly warned the public company about what is happening.

A problem which means that there are areas where mail has not been delivered for more than 30 days, when the maximum time limit is three days. Furthermore, they claim that “notifications from various public administrations are being held up at workplaces, about to expire due to staff shortages”.

"The situation is unacceptable for a public company that provides an essential service and, in turn, must set an example of decent working conditions.”

This complaint is not new. Last October 2024, postal workers, supported by the CC OO, protested in the street to denounce the "mismatch" between population growth and the services received by Alhaurín de la Torre and other municipalities with a similar situation. Furthermore, in November, Alhaurín de la Torre town hall unanimously approved a motion to demand that the postal service "urgently revoke the elimination of five structural job positions in its local distribution unit. The initiative, which came from the Con Andalucía group, was supported by all councillors. The text also called on those responsible for the public company to "diligently" cover the staff absences necessary to offer "a quality service" to the public on all shifts and urged it to "maintain the quality of working conditions", guaranteeing sufficient staff.

The independent trade union and civil servants' central union, CSIF, agrees with the diagnosis and speaks of a generalised problem in the postal service in Malaga. As it points out, although the company "usually reduces its workforce during the summer months, this year the shortages are severe, with at least 50 per cent of positions unfilled".

This, the CSIF claim, affects ordinary deliveries, which in many cases accumulate delays of between 15 and 20 days, something that has a serious impact on citizens, especially with regard to medical appointments, administrative notifications, bank cards and other vital deliveries. Parcels, it added, also pile up in the offices.

For its part, the post office claimed that the service "is provided throughout the province of Malaga with the required quality". "The company's activity is carried out adapting at all times to the volume of business, applying the necessary organisational measures to ensure its correct operation,” it said.

Regarding staff allocation, it said that it is adjusted to the current shipment volumes and their operational needs, with the aim of meeting delivery deadlines and the quality standards committed to for each type of product, “while respecting the working conditions of the entire workforce”.