Postal unions will fight to defend jobs and working conditions as well as the universal postalservice in the face of liberalisation and privatisation in Europe and elsewhere, speakers at the
annual UNI Postal global conference in Athens declared. Protests are due to be held in Europe onMay 30 and June 6 against plans to fully liberalise the postal market from 2009.UNI General Secretary Philip Jennings declared: “We are involved in the most fundamentalfight across the world for the integrity of our postal services… This is not a bureaucraticargument – this is a political and economic fight and we are going to fight, we want a universalpostal service at an affordable price.” He called for a Responsible Contractors Policy to stoppostal operators from “wage-dumping”.
Up to 60,000 postal jobs could go in France by 2012 if total de-regulation goes ahead,Bernard Dupin (CGT-PTT) said in a debate on postal liberalisation and the European Commission’sdraft postal directive. “We insist on the right of communication for all citizens and that willonly be achieved if this directive is withdrawn.”
Dutch representative Anneke Stevens said 9,000 postal jobs had gone in the last five yearsand 7,500 more could follow. “We are in the eye of the cyclone,” added Michel Meyer, from Belgium’sCGSP-Poste, with competition coming from the large postal operators in France, Germany and theNetherlands.
Philippos Thomas, president of the Greek postal union, warned about the impact ofliberalisation on the universal postal service, particularly on financing services to remote areassuch as islands. Greece’s Minister of Transport and Communications, Michalis Liapis, tolddelegates: “We believe in the social mission of the Post. If we get it wrong there will behuge repercussions on jobs and services to the users.” Angelos Bratakos, head of Hellenic Post,added: “We have to look at the social role of postal organisations with the provision of theuniversal postal service and how that will continue in the postal liberalisation process.”
US delegates said that a ten-year campaign by US postal unions had helped retain a publiclyowned postal system with a universal postal service. “We are very concerned at what is happening inEurope – if Europe goes down the road of total de-regulation then this is a battle we will have tofight again,” said Jim Sauber from NALC USA.
Claus Zanker, from Input Consulting, Stuttgart, said that full or partial postal liberationin countries such as Sweden, New Zealand, Italy and Germany had led to large-scale job cuts atincumbents, while new competitors had created fewer jobs and at worse conditions. “So we will endup with wage dumping and a downward spiral,” he claimed.
