Cosas de Carteros

Postal services at risk, Athens meeting warned


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04/27/2007
- Labour news from UNI global union - for trade unions in a global services economy. -


Hands off our postman banner is heading for Berlin

Philippos Thomas

UNI Postal President Rolf Büttner, UNI Postal's John Pedersen
and UNI General Secretary Philip Jennings

Angelos Bratakos

Michalis Liapis Total liberalisation in Europe’s postal services will mean the end of universal and affordable postal services, warned Philippos Thomas, President of the Greek postal union. The only way to guarantee a universal postal service is to retain the current, limited monopoly which allows operators to cross subsidise services to customers in rural areas.
UNI General Secretary Philip Jennings attacked postal regulators for being “postal wreckers” and promised UNI’s full support for the campaign to change European Union plans.
“This is not a bureaucratic argument - this is a political and economic fight and we are going to fight, we want a universal postal service at an affordable price,” said Philip.
They were both addressing the opening session of UNI Postal global union’s World Conference, being held in Athens over the next two days.
Greece is an appropriate venue for the debate over European Union plans to completely de-regulate the postal sector from January 1, 2009 as deliveries to citizens who live in its mountains or on its islands will be at greatest risk in a totally de-regulated postal Europe where private competition will cherry pick urban areas.

“Our main objective is guaranteeing a high quality universal service and providing equal geographical access,” said Philippos. “We demand that the European Union thinks again its approach to postal services and respects the rights of ordinary people.”
UNI-Europa Postal is lobbying hard against the European Commission’s draft directive and plans a lobby in Berlin on May 30 and a Europe-wide postal day of action on June 6. “We cannot accept that our post offices and their workers should be left in the hands of the Commission alone - we have to ensure that the workers’ voice is heard.”
Many jobs are at risk - 30,000 jobs went in just two years under Europe’s current, partial postal liberalisation.

Concern over the Commission’s latest plan is not confined to postal unions.
“We believe in the social mission of the Post,” Greece’s Minister of Transport and Communications Michalis Liapis told delegates. “If we get it wrong there will be huge repercussions on jobs and services to the users.”
His government had some concerns over the 2009 plan and reservations over the funding proposals to sustain the universal postal service.
“Our aim is to increase competitivity and provide high quality, modern services. We have to work together with the workers - the people who get to the remotest corners of our country. They are doing a real, social job, which should not be under-estimated.”

“We have to look at the social role of postal organisations with the provision of the universal postal service and how that will continue in the postal liberalisation process,” said the boss of Hellenic Post, Angelos Bratakos. “We have to avoid negative repercussions on employees and social cohesion and in certain geographical regions.”
He said Hellenic Post - profitable and with growing revenue - is already modernising its organisation and providing new services to the customer.
“At the national and international level we have to work together to stand up to the attacks and find workable solutions.”

“We are faced by the most dramatic transformation in the world’s economy in living history - it leaves no employer or employee untouched,” said UNI General Secretary Philip Jennings.
“We are involved in the most fundamental fight across the world for the integrity of our postal services.” But in the United States - home of free enterprise - a public post office remains with a universal service at an affordable price.
In Europe, even under partial liberalisation, Dutch operator TNT is expanding into Germany and paying workers 4 euro an hour instead of 20 euro an hour at Deutsche Post - while Deutsche Post is paying workers in the Netherlands 6 euro an hour instead of TNT’s 20 euro on its home base.
“It’s madness and we have to fight it - it’s wage dumping.”
He called for a Responsible Contractors Policy. “We will not allow contractors into our country who practice wage dumping and who ignore collective agreements.”
The heroes of trade unionism and democracy who had stood up to dictators in countries like Greece had not made their sacrifice simply to make a better world for business or so that Morgan Stanley can pay its chief executive $35m a year.
“It’s time we said NO to the current form of globalisation. The share of wealth going to wages is at its lowest level for 50 years.”

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un abrazo pepe

A day of action by postal workers across Europe is planned for June 6 as part of the growing campaign to save the universal postal service in Europe.
UNI Postal global union will also be organising a rally in Berlin on May 30 of postal workers in uniforms from the 27 member states to deliver a message to the German EU presidency.
The aim is to head off European Union moves to take away remaining protections from traditional postal operators.
Postal unions fear that removing the monopoly for letters up to 50 grams from 1 January, 2009 - as proposed by the European Commission - will wreck the finances for a universal postal service and lead to big job cuts among Europe’s two million postal workers.
UNI Postal President Rolf Büttner told journalists in Athens that there are no advantages for citizens of Europe from the draft directive. “There will be fewer postal services, fewer post offices, fewer letter boxes - and a worse service for those living outside the major conurbations.” He accused the Commission of “lying” in claiming that the moves will create new jobs. “There will be fewer jobs - the jobs of postal workers will be eliminated.”
Liberalisation will mean more precarious work and Rolf said the Dutch Post Office is already trying to recruit schoolchildren in Germany to set up a rival service and accused operators in the UK and Belgium of wage dumping.
“The fight is on, we are going to step up our actions to defend the jobs of our members and to make clear that Europe’s citizens have a right to good postal services,” said Rolf. “We are calling on all European postal workers to take part in this work stoppage on June 6 - I am sure the action will be carried out everywhere.”

“Cost cutting in the postal sector will mean sacking people - 80% of postal costs are the workers,” said UNI Postal’s John Pedersen who warned of the worldwide impact of what is finally decided in Europe. “What happens in Europe will have an impact on the rest of the world - everyone is looking at Europe.”

“The globalisation of capital represents an attack on workers’ income and social security, it means a lot of upheaval for the working class,” said Philippos Thomas of the Greek postal union. “In the face of globalisation workers will globalise their action. He announced that Greek unions are calling strikes on 1 May and 15 May to protest at a growing scandal in pension fund investments.

* UNI Postal’s world conference opens in Athens tomorrow (April 30) and the European campaign to “Save our Postal Services” will be a top issue. UNI Postal represents 2.5 million postal workers in 100 countries worldwide - half the world’s postal labour force and the highest unionised sector in UNI.


un abrazo pepe

Hi,

Thanks for sharing the link - but unfortunately it seems to be down? Does anybody here at cosasdecarteros.blogspot.com have a mirror or another source?


Thanks,
Harry