Japan Post unions raise objection to postal privatization plan

Japan Post’s two labor unions raised a strong objection Thursday to a government plan to divide up and privatize the postal system.

“We cannot tolerate the plan as it would make the postal system, which serves as a social safety net and contributes to vitalizing the economy, collapse,” the Japan Postal Workers’ Union and the All Japan Postal Labor Union said in a statement.

They also said they reject the postal system privatization plan as it represents nothing more than Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi’s personal beliefs.

“Japan should develop the postal system for the people by reforming Japan Post as a public corporation,” the statement said.

The Koizumi administration is trying to pass postal system privatization bills through the Diet during the current session, which is scheduled to end in June.

Under the government plan, Japan Post is to be split into four firms — one each for mail delivery, postal savings, life insurance and managing the nationwide network of post offices — under a government-affiliated holding company when the 10-year privatization process begins in April 2007.