Postal workers will tomorrow (June 6) take to the streets across Europe to protest against fullmarket liberalisation. Their action comes amid signs that EU ministers will put back a final
decision on the issue to the autumn.UNI-Europa Post and Logistics, which is organising the protests and work stoppages, said theaction would affect at least 300 European cities. The union wants a three-year delay to theEuropean Commission’s proposal for full liberalisation in 2009 along with guarantees about thefuture funding of the universal postal service.
Unions are calling on European ministers meeting on June 7 to reject the Commission’sproposals and plan to lobby European parliamentarians before they vote on the issue in early July.
Meanwhile, several newspapers reported on Tuesday that Germany, which holds the EU presidencyuntil the end of June, had decided not to seek a vote on postal liberalisation at the June 7meeting of EU telecommunications ministers, but would restrict the issue to a discussion. A votewould not be sought until the autumn meeting of telecommunications ministers to be held during thePortuguese presidency.
The decision was based on the clear lack of political agreement on a date for liberalisationand on how to finance the universal postal service in future, according to media reports.
