La Poste to clarify modernisation plan in July

The chairman of French postal services operator La Poste, Jean-Paul Bailly, yesterday met trade union representatives to discuss the state-owned group’s modernisation plan, conceived in an effort to stem the effects of sector competition and a continuing decline in traffic. The plan will see La Poste reduce its number of sorting offices while developing new platforms, but trade union SUD-PTT said yesterday that Mr Bailly provided little information on the location of such platforms. It is hoped that La Poste will provide more information on the matter in July, as well as on the distribution of an 800m-euro budget to deal with labour aspects of the 3.4bn-euro plan until 2010.

Meanwhile, French senator Pierre Herisson said yesterday that he will put forward a plan to ensure adequate levels of postal service in rural and suburban areas in conjunction with La Poste’s modernisation.