Postal Strike 11-N 2026: mandatory minimum services for postal voting

Key data

With general elections scheduled for November 29, 2026, the Government cannot allow a strike at Postal Services to block postal voting for thousands of citizens. Therefore, the Order INT/1170/2026, published on November 6, establishes mandatory minimum services for the strike day of November 11, 2026. The measure balances two fundamental rights: the right to strike (art. 28.2 CE) against the right to vote (art. 23 CE), giving prevalence to the latter in the electoral context.

What does this regulation establish?

Order INT/1170/2026 declares the following Postal Services as essential during the strike on November 11, 2026:

The specific number of employees required to work varies depending on the size of each office or unit. The regulation requires that Postal Services designate by name the workers who will cover these minimum services at each center, which implies individual communication to each affected employee.

The legal basis is article 28.2 of the Spanish Constitution, which allows limiting the right to strike to guarantee essential services, in combination with Law 43/2010, on universal postal service, which recognizes the essential nature of postal service in electoral processes.

Economic and operational impact

For Postal Services as an entity, the operational impact is direct and immediate:

• Urgent planning obligation: Postal Services must identify, before November 11, which employees from each office and unit are subject to minimum services, and communicate this to them by name.
• Labor conflict management: Workers designated to cover minimum services cannot exercise their right to strike that day, which may generate internal claims or challenges before labor courts.
• Continuity of the electoral process: Failure to comply with minimum services could compromise the receipt of postal votes for the November 29 elections, with serious institutional and reputational consequences for Postal Services.
• Coordination cost: Designation by name per center implies significant administrative and HR effort in a very short timeframe (the order is published on November 6 and takes effect on November 11).

For Postal Services workers, the impact is clear: those designated to cover minimum services will lose the salary discount for the strike day, but will also lose the effective exercise of their right to strike that day.

Who does it affect?

• Employees of Correos y Telégrafos, SA who were planning to join the strike on November 11, 2026 called by CCOO, UGT and CGT.
• HR managers and executives of Postal Services at each center, who must execute the designation by name of employees for minimum services.
• Union representatives of CCOO, UGT and CGT at Postal Services, who must know which workers are excluded from the strike.
• Citizens with postal voting requested for the November 29 elections: they are the indirect beneficiaries of this measure, as the processing of their votes is guaranteed.
• Electoral Administration: it depends on Postal Services complying with minimum services for the correct distribution of electoral material.

Practical example

Imagine a medium-sized Postal Services office with 20 employees on staff, all of them adhering to the November 11 strike called by CCOO, UGT and CGT.

Under Order INT/1170/2026, the management of that office must, before November 11:

1. Calculate the number of employees that should remain active according to the scale established for their unit size.
2. Identify by name those workers (for example, those responsible for admission of postal voting and those in charge of distribution of electoral documentation).
3. Notify them individually of their designation as minimum services personnel.

Those designated workers will not be able to join the strike that day. If the office fails to comply and does not cover minimum services, Postal Services as an entity assumes responsibility for the possible blocking of postal voting in that area, with the legal and institutional consequences that this entails.

What should companies do now?

The actions are specific to Correos y Telégrafos, SA as the obligated entity:

1. Identify affected units and offices: Review which centers have workers adhering to the November 11 strike and calculate the number of employees that must cover minimum services according to the size of each unit.
2. Designate workers by name: Communicate individually and in writing to each designated employee their obligation to provide service on November 11, with sufficient notice.
3. Coordinate with union representatives: Inform CCOO, UGT and CGT of the designations made to avoid conflicts and possible challenges.
4. Guarantee coverage of the five essential services: Admission and delivery of postal voting, distribution of electoral documentation, logistics and transport, physical security at central headquarters, and cybersecurity and technological infrastructure.
5. Document the entire process: Keep evidence of individual notifications and planning carried out, in case of subsequent challenges before labor courts or claims from designated workers.

Official source

Consult complete regulation at official source

Notice: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. For specific decisions, consult a qualified professional. Source: https://www.boe.es/diario_boe/txt.php?id=BOE-A-2026-23329