News

At least one postal worker has been killed and several are missing in the devastating earthquake that struck Christchurch, New Zealand on 22 February. Most postal services in the city ceased with some limited services starting again on 1 March. UNI has been in contact with our unions there and the following is an excerpt from a report by the General Secretary of the EPMU, UNI Post & Logistics New Zealand affiliate, who was actually in Christchurch when the earthquake struck. "This quake was a very violent shake. I was in the downstairs meeting room in the Christchurch office when it struck and it took all my effort to stay on my feet and make my way to the door frame. You needed to assume a surfing stance to stay upright. Material stored on shelves was shaken onto the floor. Liquefaction struck the carpark - water and sand oozed up into the parking area and large mounds appeared and just as quickly subsided. Plate glass windows in the building across the road and two doors down the road were shaken out and smashed into the street. The cafe on the corner of Cashel and Barbados Sts was destroyed - the brick walls collapsed and the verandah fell onto the footpath. A hundred metres down the road the six storey CTV building collapsed. The aftershocks were frequent and one was almost as violent as the 12.50pm quake."This building and also another union building, The Trade Union Centre, where other UNI affiliates have their Christchurch offices, are likely to not be able to be repaired and will have to be demolished. At least one third of the Central Business district will have to be demolished along with hundreds of suburban homes. Most businesses still have not been able to restart operations and the Central City is still cordoned off. We will ensure there is more news when it comes to hand in these bulletins and on the UNI Post & Logistics web page