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Vietnamese post union responds to market changes
Published: 4 April 2008
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Postal activists in Vietnam have been looking at global changes in the sector as their country moves closer to a market economy. UNI-Asia Pacific was on hand at the seminar, held in the main postal buildings in central Hanoi, to help in sharing experiences of successful strategies to defend postal workers in an era of corporatisation, privatisation and shrinking commitments to the universal postal service. From UNI Tokyo, Eiichi Ito briefed participants on the restructuring and privatisation process going on in Japan - and the merger of the two postal unions there to form JPGU and defend members in what is going to be a ten year process of change in Japan Post. “We need the experiences of other countries so that we can survive,” said Tran Van Dinh, who is President of the postal sector in UNI’s first Vietnamese affiliate - the post and telecom union of Vietnam. The seminar focused on building trade union activities in postal services. Since the beginning of this year the Vietnamese postal business - with 40,000 workers - has a distinct organisation. But, partly as a result of union campaigning, the post and telecom businesses remain under the same umbrella. “Postal services are important because they provide communications for the whole community,” said UNI-Asia Pacific’s Alice Chang. “The challenges may appear daunting but the trade union movement has a very influential role to play in the decision making process,” said UNI-Asia Pacific President Christopher Ng. The postal business remains in the monopoly hands of the Vietnamese government but delivering those services is open to competition. One area an exchange of experiences between postal unions around the world can assist in Vietnam is the development of new sources of postal revenue, capitalising on the unique post office network that reaches out into rural areas. Christopher reported on one initiative in China Post in the Shenzhen area where the postal operator is now delivering flowers at festive times. He stressed that other unions could learn from the success of the Vietnamese Post and Telecom union in keeping the two services together and winning a financial commitment from the Vietnam government to help finance the universal postal service and maintain a wide geographical coverage for Post. “The response of Vietnamese unions to the challenges of globalisation has been very positive,” he said. “We are fully behind you and here to assist you.” UNI has been building relations with Vietnamese unions for more than ten years and the seminar followed immediately after the first ever UNI-Asia Pacific Regional Executive in Vietnam. The Post and Telcom Union is the first Vietnamese affiliate to UNI. |
