News

Bro. Takeuchi, UNI-Apro Post and Logistics President, visited Bangkok and signed a MOU with the APPU on 27. August. Mr. Somchai, APPU Director, was his counterpart and signed the MOU. Around 20 people, APPU course directors and staff, SEWU THP(Thai Postal Workers Union)executives, UNI-TLC coordinator, and SEWU-CAT official, attended the ceremony.

They emphasized how important stable and constructive labor management relations in the era of postal crisis are. Bro. Takeuchi said, “APPU plays a leading role in the process of exiting from this crisis.” Mr. Somchai added, “the MOU sets the frame work. It is important what content this MOU has. The APPU and UNI-Apro have made joint seminar for a long time. We all know UNI-Apro is a reliable organization.”

It is a breaking through in terms of relations between UNI and regional restricted unions, such as APPU. UNI has concluded a MOU with the UPU in 2008 and now it moves to the region to sign regional MOU with its restricted unions. The MOU with the APPU will be the first one in this strategy. This achievement was made by all affiliates in Asia and the Pacific in terms of lobbying each postal administration, both regulator and operator. At the same time, UNI HQ helped us a lot, for example, Bro. Neil Anderson directly talked with Mr. Mark Lawley, Chairperson of APPU EC from New Zealand Post. However, the fact that the proposed MOU was approved unanimously was a result of the long-term efforts of UNI-Apro Post and Logistics, which had started the relations with APPU in 1998. UNI-Apro Post and Logistics also began with a joint seminar with APPU in 1999. Trust building process took more than ten years.

UNI Apro Post and Logistics will organize postal unions in countries, where union organization doesn’t exist.