News

As UNI Post & Logistics Global Union observed wages and working conditions of postal workers deteriorating in liberalised postal market, UNI wanted to understand why and how this happened. It was thus decided to undertake a global study on the liberalisation of postal services and its impact on workers. The objective was also to assist our member unions in preventing the detrimental impact on of liberalisation on employees of the postal sector.



The research is based on case studies from 13 countries around the world, some of which have experienced liberalisation for many years, others still working on trying to avoid it. We have been looking into the driving forces of liberalisation as well as the liberalisation process itself and what its effects were in terms of competition but most importantly on workers themselves. In another part of this study we have also looked into how unions have dealt with this issue.



Our main findings are that the economic theory backing up liberalisation cannot be proven in the postal sector. Indeed there is only very little competition in the postal liberalised markets, with new entrants detaining from 0.1% to around 10% of market shares. Furthermore, there are very few main competitors to the incumbent, in most cases between one and four.

When it comes to the employment aspect, we have noticed tremendous job losses caused by the liberalisation process (privatisation, restructuration, automation), a deterioration of working conditions in competing postal operators, increasing precarious working conditions through the increase in atypical forms of work, cuts in wages and wage dumping.



So here is what postal liberalisation has delivered.