Urgent need for a better regulated postal market
The morning of the second day of the UNI Europa Post & Logistics conference allowed experience sharing on the crisis in the postal sector and the afternoon focused on the future and the protection of high quality postal services. Special emphasis was placed on state-owned postal companies getting hit by the cost saving measures of the governments. The crisis caused a dramatic decrease in letter volumes which affects the postal sector negatively. The conference therefore adopted a motion to clearly state that austerity measures driving the blind privatisation of postal companies or reductions in postal services, are counter-productive. Such measures will seriously undermine the quality of postal services all European citizens are entitled to.
In an emotional and active discussion in the afternoon, the participants of the UNI Europa Post & Logistics conference conveyed their demands to the European Commission and the European Parliament. The main message to Werner Stengg, Head of Unit for postal services and E-commerce in the European Commission DG Internal Market was: “We need stronger and social regulation and more investments in the postal sector”. The participants also turned to Sabine Wils, Member of the European Parliament of the GUE/NGL Group asking her for support in the impact assessment of the European postal liberalisation at the end of the year. It will be important that the Parliamentarians ask the right questions and adopt good legislation to support the hundreds of thousands postal workers in Europe.
To support the lobbying efforts, Cornelia Broos, policy officer for post and logistics in UNI Europa called the participants of the conference to get actively involved in the UNI Europa Post & Logistics activities, answer the questionnaires and relevant consultations and provide the involved persons with facts, figures and experiences. She especially thanked FORBA and Bettina Haidinger for the great work and support done with their research which provides UNI Europa with important scientific background information.
The conference ended on the second day with good discussions and a performance of a chorus of Portuguese postal workers in the evening.