UNI Europa Post & Logistics at the European Social Forum
UNI Europa Post & Logistics at the European Social Forum
UNI Europa Post & Logistics demands a Moratorium on the implementation of the 3rd Postal Directive and more international cooperation at the European Social Forum 2010 in Istanbul
From 1st to 4th of July the 6th European Social Forum (ESF) took place in Istanbul. More than 2.000 participants discussed several topics concerning civil society, protection of environment and labour – to name but a few - in workshops and developed future strategies for a joint social movement on these issues. In several workshops, network meetings and activities around the ESF, new contacts and alliances were made all over Europe.
In the workshops of the public service network within the European Social Forum, UNI Europa Post & Logistics raised the topic of the social consequences of liberalisation and the developments in the postal market . Eva-Britt Svensson, member of the European Parliament, in the workshops supported the views of the European Trade Union Federations and will be another contact point on European level in the future .
One serious concern which was strongly emphasised in the meetings and discussion was the situation of the UPS workers in Turkey. Local management has fired 120 UPS workers because of their Union membership and Tümtis the Turkish transport workers Union. UNI Europa Post & Logistics supports this struggle – to fight against a national Union means to fight against all Unions globally.
Together with NGOs and Trade Unions from the Nordic countries, UNI Europa Post & Logistics organised a special workshop on liberalisation of public services in general and postal services in particular. In this workshop the participants got an overview on the social consequences of the liberalisation of the postal market within the European Union. Trade Unions from Norway have already used this information for their fight against privatisation. As Norway is not a member of the European Union, the government has the chance to refuse the implementation of the postal Directive. The atmosphere in Norway made the Union representatives optimistic they will win this battle, but this would be the first time that Norway has refused to implement a Directive coming from Brussels.
“In the fight against liberalisation of the postal sector it is important as a Trade Union federation to look also for contacts in the NGOs and civil society movements”, says Cornelia Berger from UNI Europa Post & Logistics. “We have to use occasions like this to network, get in contact with other people outside the Trade Unions and build up alliances for further cooperation.”