Postal Services Bill completes passage through Commons

[TrueBlueTerrier]

http://nds.coi.gov.uk/content/Detail.as ... IS+News%29" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The Postal Services Bill has this evening completed its passage through the House of Commons and will now be considered by the House of Lords.
This is the first time that legislation to enable Royal Mail to benefit from private capital has been approved by MPs.

Business Secretary Vince Cable said:

“I am delighted that our proposals have passed through the Commons. Upon taking office the Government realised it had to move swiftly to tackle the challenges facing Royal Mail and the Post Office to ensure the future of the important services they both provide. We’re absolutely determined to secure the future of these two proud institutions.”

Minister for Postal Affairs Edward Davey said:

“Today is good news for everyone who wants to see a successful Royal Mail and Post Office network.

“MPs from all parties have taken a fine tooth comb to our plans and the many hours of rigorous debate have helped to improve our legislation. We’re convinced that our approach is the right one and look forward to the debates which will soon take place in the Lords.”

Today was the first chance for MPs to debate the amendment that the Government introduced on Monday that will ensure that the Queen’s head remains on stamps regardless of who owns the company in the future.

The Bill includes the following proposals:

Royal Mail


The requirements of the universal postal service – collection and delivery of post six days a week at uniform, affordable prices are written into the Bill. The Government has no intention of downgrading them.
Royal Mail will be able to benefit from an injection of private capital - ending the dependence on funding from the taxpayer and bringing new commercial disciplines into the business.
Alongside private sector investment:
At least 10% of the shares in Royal Mail will go to its employees in the future. This will be the largest employee share scheme of any privatisation, larger than British Telecom, British Gas or British Airways.
Royal Mail will be relieved of its enormous historic pension deficit by the Government.
As part of a general reform of the regulatory regime for mail, the existing regulator, Postcomm, will be replaced by Ofcom, the communications regulator, with the Bill providing for the transfer of Postcomm's regulatory responsibility and its staff to Ofcom.

Post Office


The network of around 11,500 Post Office branches is not for sale and there will be no programme of closures under this Government. Instead there is £1.34 billion of new funding to modernise the network and safeguard its future, making it a stronger partner for Royal Mail.
Under the proposals contained in the Bill, the Post Office could be converted into a mutual structure as part of innovative new plans to hand over its ownership and running to employees, sub postmasters and local communities.


The Bill will now be considered by the Lords. It is scheduled to be introduced and have its first reading tomorrow, Thursday 13 January.


Notes to editors


The Postal Services Bill and an accompanying policy statement which explains the Government’s approach can be accessed here http://www.bis.gov.uk/policies/business ... -bill-2010" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;.
The Postal Services Bill has been informed by the recommendations of Richard Hooper CBE in his independent updated report on the future of the universal postal service. "Saving the Royal Mail's universal postal service in the digital age" was published on 10 September 2010. This report can be accessed here http://www.bis.gov.uk/hooper-report" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;.
An online video on the Postal Services Bill from Postal Affairs Minister Edward Davey can be found here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNqswvLPeRM" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;.
A further Q&A can be found here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T9ig0AbhqTs" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
BIS' online newsroom contains the latest press notices, speeches, as well as video and images for download. It also features an up to date list of BIS press office contacts. See http://www.bis.gov.uk/newsroom" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; for more information

[dvbuk55]

And that, as they say, is that!

[walksyo]

I wonder how long it'll be b4 we really start seein changes...i've read some where 18 months coz the USO under this agreement delivery can be downgraded to a 5 day week,which is when (i can only presume) TNT or DHL will cum in for us...i can't see why TNT would be interested TBH there havin plenty of problems themselves....unless a deal's already bin done behind closed doors????

[fishtank]

I wonder how long it'll be b4 we really start seein changes...i've read some where 18 months coz the USO under this agreement delivery can be downgraded to a 5 day week,which is when (i can only presume) TNT or DHL will cum in for us...i can't see why TNT would be interested TBH there havin plenty of problems themselves....unless a deal's already bin done behind closed doors????

There will be changes immediately.
The Government will want the best possible price.
You can guess what that means but i would imagine a management cull would be top of the shopping list followed by.....you can guess the rest.
BT2010 is dead in the water i would guess although no-one will admit it.

[skull]

There will be changes immediately.
The Government will want the best possible price.
You can guess what that means but i would imagine a management cull would be top of the shopping list followed by.....you can guess the rest.
BT2010 is dead in the water i would guess although no-one will admit it. [/quote]

A sad day indeed , but when goverments have sold off national assets in the past haven't they sold them off seriously undervalued ? . Youve got to remember that the goverments friends ( financial institutions ) have got to make serious money out of this so trying to sell RM off at a respectable price is unproductive becauase it wont line any of their friends pockets . All the utility companies and BT were sold off seriously undervalued . These companies were also owned by the British public but only a small minority made money from it ,the rest of us have just inherited rocketing bills .

For over 350 years RM has been state owned , through wars , pestilence and after the second world war near national bankrupcy but it has survived . Shame on the powers that be for what they have done today . RM was owned by the British public but sadly only a small minority are going to get their share of what is due to them , the rest will with no doubt lose .

[NWpostie]

This man says it all

[NWpostie]

After so many fight back and campaigns, Thatcher, Heseltine, the "Keep the post public" leafleting, I even got a couple of leaflets from those days, one sub Postmaster refused to accept the leaflet form me, shortly after later his sub office was closed down, goes to show that solidarity is the way forward, indvidually we all fall down, as he founds out.


Well looks like we have more or less reached the end of the road, it would be time to say goodbye to Royal Mail in 5 years time if we have that long.

[guvenor]

and lets all remember who started ball rolling for privatisation LABOUR

[fishtank]

and lets all remember who started ball rolling for privatisation LABOUR

In 1969 under Wilson when the Post Office ceased to be a Government department and the idea of screwing as much profit from it as possible was born.
After that it was inevitable it would eventually be sold off...it's just a surprise it's taken 40 odd years.

[walksyo]

and lets all remember who started ball rolling for privatisation LABOUR

I think you'll find it was the tories in the 80's, not Knob head Mandleson(who has shares in TNT) were the 1st to get the ball rolling-check your history b4 you post something on here....and for the record. Maggie Thatcher was against sellin the Royal Mail...

[Martin Walsh]

I sure am pleased that I was not in the trenches with you lot and glad you were not fighting for our country in the second world war or we would all be speaking German.

Yes the bill has gone through the commons but its still a long way from getting Royal Assent and its even further from a postion of actually being sold off.

The next stages is that it has to have a first and second reading in the House of Lords and then goes to Committee stage then to report state then to a thrid reading with ammendments and then if it passes the House of Lords then it has to go back to House of Commons for consideration of amendments.

Remember the last bill got defeated in the House of Lords.

In addition even if eventually it gets Royal Assent there is loads to do before it actually gets sold off. They cannot sell it off until they deal with the pension defecit and that requires negotitaion with the trusteees , CWU and Royal Mail. In addition they will have to split the pension scheme which is a logistacal nightmare as whilst they will be selling off Royal Mail , Post office LTD will remain in state hands.

Only then can they hope to be in a postion to look at selling the industry and they would have to consider whether they will currently get the price they want for the sell off. Remember there have been plenty of legislation which has got Royal Mail assent but never actually implemented.

There is plenty more battles left in this war. the reason it has been rushed through is that the tories learnt their lesson of trying to back an unpopular bill in the second half of a parliment and after yesterdays Oldham result who knows when the second half of this governments parliment.

So time to get off your knees the war can still be won.

[fishtank]

So time to get off your knees the war can still be won.

It's rather difficult to fight a war when you are not sure who the enemy is.
Obviously the Condem Government are seen as the main enemy but Moya Greene and the rest of Royal Mail senior management are very much behind the privatisation so the obvious question is...are they not also the enemy...?
In which case why are we collaborating with them?

[dvbuk55]

Has the CWU found its very own William.............CWU Calling, CWU Calling. I believe that during the occupation of Holland, the Dutch people hid photos of the deposed Queen in many different places in defiance................perhaps we should do the same

[realmichael]

on another thread dingo has replied to dv "get real" and now he is saying all is not lost the bill has still to go through the house of lords!!!!!
dont make me laugh, what planet are you realy on

[barbario]

Whoever does come forward to buy Royal Mail,i would like to think our Union would talk to them first and to spell out quite clearly just what the score is,and what the situation is within the company from the Unions point of view. . Also to spell out that any attack on our terms and conditions will be met by industrial action. So,at least whoever does buy us ,they will be going in with their eyes wide open.