Among the first post offices to close in the country are Lavradio (in Barreiro), Paio Pires (Seixal) and Araucária (in the centre of Vila Real), which serves close to 200 people a day.
At least four branches are due to close in Lisbon, three in Porto, and one in the Algarve, the Avenida CTT branch in Loulé, according to an info-graph published by national newspaper Correio da Manhã.
Reports claim employees were informed of the shake-up via an internal communiqué, and many claim they were caught unawares by the move.
The original restructuring plan initially put to employees reportedly states “shops with poor demand” would be closed down, although workers claim the intention to close 22 branches nationwide was not specified.
Speaking to Correio da Manhã, José Rosário, head of the CTT workers’ committee, said “We were told that there was no intention of making any significant changes to the network. But it is not in five days that the decision is made with regard to which stations should be closed, so I do not think our opinion will be taken into account anyway”.
The committee believes at least 53 employees will be affected by the reshaping, but the CTT has apparently refused to address any possible lay-offs, allegedly telling its committee that affected workers will be transferred to other places where there is a shortage of employees.
Several councils are also said to have been taken aback by the news, with Mário Pereira, Mayor of Alpiarça (Santarém), claiming that the restructuring was never addressed during any of the meetings the council held with CTT.
Rui Santos, mayor of Vila Real, one of the areas to be imminently affected by the reform, told the media he was also taken by surprise by the closures, and deemed it “a mistake”.