This article was submitted July 1, 2025 by activists of the New Anticapitalist Party-Revolutionaries (NPA-R) in France.
More than 600 people attended the rally for the five La Poste (postal) workers from the 92nd department (governmental district). Among the participants were nearly 200 postal workers, including just over a hundred from the Paris region. A wide range of trade unions and political groups were present. The rally lasted all day, with the hearing ending at 11:15 p.m.
A hearing marked by mobilization
The length of the hearing was due to the judge’s desire, knowing he was being watched, to give all parties the opportunity to express themselves. The prosecutor requested between 70 and 140 hours of community service for the five comrades, which, if not completed, would result in a prison sentence. The aim of such a sentence is to give the impression of a “light” sentence in order to reduce mobilization.
The consequences of a possible conviction
Any conviction, even a relatively “light” one, would be disastrous. It would be used to hinder the activism of our comrades. What better excuse to prevent intervention in post offices than to say that we are dealing with criminals? And it would provide grounds for further legal proceedings, encouraging a spiral of repression, even beyond the five defendants in the 92nd department. This is why the mobilization for their acquittal must continue.
A discriminatory procedure
During the 2014 strike, La Poste management had a photo ID list of dozens of strikers. Why, then, are only five people, all of whom were union representatives at the time of the events, being prosecuted? This is blatant discrimination and therefore grounds for acquittal!
Late and unfounded accusations of “violence”
On February 13, 2014, after several weeks of striking to demand permanent contracts for precarious workers, the strikers and their comrades went to the head office to ask for negotiations. Management tried to prevent them from entering the building, even though it was open to all postal workers, by placing security guards there, who caused a scuffle. The head of security at La Poste headquarters, who accused the comrades of violence, took 10 days to file a complaint after the events of February 13, 2014. This initial complaint made no mention of violence, nor did the bailiff’s report drawn up at the time of the events.
It was not until a second complaint was filed on February 27—14 days after the events—at the very moment when Gaël Quirante (one of the defendants) was attending a preliminary interview prior to his dismissal, that the accusation of violence was brought up.
There is no document in the file attesting to an accident at work on February 13. The manager only produced a sick note on March 8, 2014, more than three weeks after the incident.
CCTV footage shows that the accusations are unfounded
The CCTV footage from February 13, 2014, was shown during the hearing. It clearly shows that there was no violence on the part of the security guards against the security manager. The head of security at the headquarters herself stated in court that the accusations of having “dragged her to the ground” were not true: “I never said that,” she said. But the indictment and the proceedings, with an 11-year investigation, were therefore based on non-existent facts! The entire proceedings should therefore be dropped.
Trespassing: still a no!
We must continue to hammer home the point that any conviction for “trespassing” for simply coming to the headquarters of one’s own company during a strike would amount to a serious challenge to the right to strike. As for the charges of “damage,” they were so fanciful that even the prosecutor dismissed the acquittal on this count…
A series of revelations about the despicable methods used by La Poste management
In the days leading up to and following the trial, several revelations were made concerning the particularly problematic methods used by La Poste management. These included the discriminatory classification of postal workers during reorganizations, with those who “obey” being labeled as “aligned,” while those who “oppose” or “refuse to cooperate” are labeled as “irreconcilable” and “opponents” who will “rally to the project under duress.” It is difficult not to think of the treatment inflicted on the “5 of 92”… The media outlet Blast also pointed out that the journalist from Envoyé Spécial who had reported on La Poste in the fall of 2019 had been contacted by La Poste in an attempt to portray Gaël as a jihadist, in order to prevent any media coverage of the comrades’ struggle. This shows how far the management is willing to go!
Raw material for profits
And to top it all off, La Poste is the first company to be convicted of failing to fulfill its “duty of vigilance”: it knowingly and systematically subcontracted the sorting and delivery of express parcels (DPD, Chronopost), a particularly lucrative sector… but also one characterized by the abuse of undocumented workers. Geopost, the holding company that includes DPD, Chronopost, and other subsidiaries, generates $16 billion of the $34 billion in revenue that the group made in 2024.
In a nutshell: Philippe Wahl, the group’s outgoing CEO, pursued a particularly violent and destructive policy towards the interests of postal workers and the population while he was at the helm of La Poste, with a marked deterioration in the quality of service.
The court’s decision will be handed down on July 10 at 1:30 p.m.
Rallies will be organized on this occasion, particularly in Paris.
Rally on July 10, 2025, at 12 p.m., Paris Court, Porte de Clichy.
