Unions are calling out postal workers across Europe on December 11 to protest against plans tofully liberalise the EU postal market in 2009.
The European Commission has proposed that the remaining national postal monopolies should endin 2009, creating a fully liberalised EU internal postal services market. It has proposedsafeguards to protect the postal “universal service obligation”.
The UNI-Europa Postal Committee, representing the postal branch of the international unionnetwork, said that it has urged its EU postal affiliates to organise meetings, demonstrations orother actions in front of national ministries or, wherever possible, in front of the local FinnishEmbassy on December 11. Finland currently holds the EU Presidency.
UNI Postal representative John Pedersen declared: “The postal trade unions stand unanimouslytogether in trying to convince governments and the European Parliament that the Commission is goingtoo far with their vigorous attempts to liberalise European postal services.”
UNI-Europa Postal said that it has also appealed to the European union umbrella body, seekingsupport and action from the whole European trade union movement.
The European Commission proposal has so far met with a mixed response from the nationalpostal operators, with two “pro” and “contra” blocks starting to emerge. French postal unions havealready protested against the plan. There has been little formal political response yet to theCommission’s plan.
