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Post & Logistics unions in Africa moving forward

Published: 15 May 2009
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 The UNI Africa Post & Logistics Conference, which was held in Tunisia 14-15 May, concluded with a strong action programme being agreed. The unions present were extremely active during the conference, in developing a plan to move Post & Logistics unions in Africa forward. They started with asking UNI Post & Logistics to include issues specific to Africa in the UNI P & L strategic plan and to ensure that African unions were given the information and knowledge they needed to fight the liberalisation of the postal market and privatisation.,



The unions say that liberalisation is damaging the ability of African countries to develop a quality universal postal service in in the continent. The unions worked on a plan of action to fight the proposed liberalisations and to ensure workers are given a priority in the development of the postal networks in Africa.



The unions also called on governments to work with the UPU to introduce the IFS money transfer system that the UPU was developing. Cheap secure money transfer is a key to growth and local prosperity in Africa and the Post Office network should be sued for this the unions say. They want investment in systems that will allow post offices in Africa to join the IFS system and to offer this money transfer service. They also said that investment is need in staff training to ensure the current postal workers are properly qualified to carry out this work and to satisfy the customers demands.



The conference also discussed the increasing number of express mail and logistics companies that are entering the African market and they pledged to join the UNI/ITF campaign to get DHL to sign a global agreement. The unions reported that DHL, TNT and other express mail companies are resisting union organ sing and they demand these companies meet their social obligations and grant proper recognition agreements to the unions.



Outsourcing was another key issue that was discussed, as postal operators and express mail companies use contractors instead of skilling and training staff to do this work.



Beating the affects of the financial crisis and making sure it didn't adversely affect Africa was also discussed and the unions supported the need o work with the UPU on revenue protection for postal operators and also to demand that mail security and the credibility of postal administrations in Africa is improved so that the threat of liberalisation can be eliminated. They called on postal operators to use proper transport companies and not the many cheaper but "illegal" operators who threaten the viability of a secure mail service in many countries.



The UNI sponsored HIV AIDS publicity being undertaken with UN AIDS; the UPU and the ILO using Post Offices to distribute information on AIDS prevention was endorsed and supported by the conference.



The conference also passed a resolution of support for the postal union in Tunisia which is fighting for the right to bargain a decent collective contract for it's members and which is planning a strike for the week of 25-29 May.



Elections were also held and Abdoulaye Sembène from SNTPT Senegal was elected UNI Africa Post & Logistics President, with Mphuti Mathapelo from CWU South Africa elected 1st Vice President and Apeh Daniel Ojonide from SSA-NIPOST Nigeria elected 2nd Vice President.



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