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Automation and introduction of Information Communication Technology (ICT) for services improvement in 4740 Sri Lanka Post postal outlets is receiving priority from the government, said the new Post Master General (PMG) Mr Rohana Abeyartne. He shared the information during a meeting with UNI Apro and a trade union delegation in Colombo.



Capacity building for Sri Lanka Post’s 26,783 employees to cope with the technological advancement is a serious challenge. PMG Abeyaratne said that it is critical to change attitudes of trade union leaders so that they will participate in the transformational stage. PMG Abeyartne was confident that trade unions and employees will extend their fullest cooperation to initiate the changes in the post department.



As modernisation takes effect, PMG Abeyaratne said that employees should be informed on the various stages. Engagement in regular dialogue between employees, representative trade unions, and the management is the key to dispel doubts and uncertainties amongst the employees.



Sri Lanka Post will be arranging a study tour for trade union leaders in collaborations with India Post in early 2013. PMG Abeyaratne said the study tour will enable trade union leaders in Sri Lanka Post to learn how the India Post modernized its operations with the introduction of the ICT to serve a large community of customers. The study tour will also explore possibilities of increasing revenue through value-added services such as logistics, to compensate the revenue drop from the traditional mail services.



UNI Apro Director for Finance Sector Activities, Jayasri Priyalal, assured support to the capacity development of trade union leaders in Sri Lanka Post in consultation of UNI Post and Logistics. He also agreed to arrange a familiarisation meeting for the visiting Sri Lanka Post trade union delegation to meet their counterparts in India.



PMG Rohana Abeyaratne met Neil Anderson, Head of UNI SCORE, and Stephen De Matteo, Head of UNI Post & Logistics, at the 25th Universal Postal Union (UPU) congress in in Qatar Doha in September 2012 where UNI and UPU signed a new MOU for driving the future development of Post.



(In the picture: Chandrika Elladatte, NPTWU exco member and UNI SLAC women’s committee member, Gamini Hettiarchchi, President of National Post Telecommunication Workers Union, J Priyalal, UNI Apro Director for Finance Sector Activities, Mr Rohana Abeyaratne, Sri Lanka Post Master General, Mr V Kumaraguru, Controller Operations)