Commissioner Barnier initiates the postal users forum
More than 60 representatives of big companies, postal users, postal operators and postal regulators at the invitation of Commissioner Barnier spent one day together to discuss the future needs in the postal industry. UNI Europa Post & Logistics representing postal workers in the forum, had been invited after a personal meeting with Barnier.
Commissioner Barnier in his opening speech emphasised the social link that needed to be maintained and the need for territorial cohesion of postal services. He said that now liberalisation of postal services in Europe is a reality it would be the right time to assess, evaluate and make corrections if necessary. He emphasised strongly that reforms won’t work without being social responsible. At the meeting he immediately gave the floor to the Trade Union representatives and he showed that he is aware that Trade Unions need to play an important role in the process .
In five round tables during the forum, the participants discussed the needs of big and residential customers, business and SMEs perspectives, the role of e-commerce and a sustainable postal market. All of the round tables repeated the fact that high quality, affordable price, reliable, fast and flexible postal services which cover the whole geography of the country are necessary. The users also made a plea for a maximum number of delivery days and to ensure that operators have an efficient "returns" function. Despite the high quality of postal services, there is always space for improvement like delivery of registered letters and parcels, track & trace, or the cross-border delivery is certainly a field which has to be improved.
Neil Anderson head of department of UNI Post & Logistics underlined in his statement on sustainable development that Trade Unions don’t want to see barriers in the development of postal services, that workers want to be part of changes and innovations and implement them together in a way which is social acceptable. New and better services guarantees quality jobs in the sector and sustainable development of the sector in the future. To ensure that postal companies can deliver the high level of quality services, mentioned in the forum by the business and all the other participants, a well trained and motivated workforce is necessary. This is only achievable with consistent good employment and investment in a well trained and motivated workforce.