The week that was: 9 October 2009
In the news this week:
Strikes, green agendas and privatisation…
I’m afraid there are no prizes for guessing this week’s top story as a national strike in the UK looms – making headlines around the world.
Royal Mail workers voted more than three to one in favour of a national strike as they seek action over job cuts and working conditions. 61,623 postal workers out of a total of 80,830 agreed to strike. CWU deputy general Dave Ward called it a “huge vote of no confidence in Royal Mail management”, whilst Royal Mail managing director Mark Higgins called on the CWU to “abandon its unjustified strikes and to help the business deliver the service our customers deserve”. The CWU has to give seven days notice before any strike. While the date is unknown at present, what is known is that Royal Mail’s modernisation plans will be damaged by the dispute.
In more positive news, many postal organisations got their green caps on this week, just as the Universal Postal Union (UPU) urged industry leaders to support their “Seal the Deal” campaign. John Potter led the way by setting strict carbon cutting targets for the USPS during their annual conservation campaign. Staying in the States, UPS were not to be outdone by their national postal service by launching their carbon neutral program. The boys in brown have became the first small package carrier to offer its customers the ability to offset the carbon dioxide emissions generated by the transport of their packages.
With ‘privatisation’ now a so-called buzz word around the sector, it comes as no surprise that it cropped up in the news again this week – twice. Firstly, an unofficial citizen’s poll judged that 90% of people were against privatisation of La Poste in France. Secondly, new Japanese minister Kazuhiro Haraguchi spoke on how to revamp the process in Japan.
And finally…
It’s World Post Day! Celebrated on 9 October every year – apparently.
Being my first World Post Day working in the industry I could only wish I was jetting off to Berne right now, as no doubt the UPU bigwigs will be descending on the city’s finest bars for a celebratory tipple.
