THE VIEW FROM THE HILL Part One

[drb]

HARROW & DISTRICT BRANCH
THE VIEW FROM THE HILL
Special edition 1

The CWU has launched a major campaign to protect the Universal Postal Service from the threat of competition, privatisation and Ofcom. These three threats could see severe and irreversible cuts to the postal service. Rather than taking a ‘wait and see’ position, the Union is challenging these threats head-on in an effort to save the postal service, our jobs and our conditions of employment. Part of the campaign may be a ballot to boycott the competitor’s mail in defence of the United Kingdom’s universal public postal service.

1: COMPETITION
We have for some years now been delivering mail, initially handled by competing companies like UK Mail, at a loss to our business. A loss because the profit has been creamed off and the delivery (the last mile) which is at a loss is given us. This destructive legislation was put into place by Postcom. Postcom have now handed over to Ofcom, who want to make some changes (see special edition 3). These changes will not create a level playing field, but could mean that we don’t operate at a loss delivering downstream access. This will make Royal Mail more attractive to a buyer.
We are constantly told that mail is a dwindling market, but the UK postal service is worth a total of £31Billion a year and that is why our monopoly is being stripped away and other businesses are allowed to cut into the profitable bits whilst our hands are tied.
TNT the Dutch company have never made a secret of the fact that they want to deliver mail in the UK. They are, of course only interested in the high density areas that have the largest volumes of deliverable mail. They are not interested in small towns or the Countryside as there is no profit in them. They have already begun deliveries to three areas of London and want to expand across the rest of London and other cities.
To enable their expansion TNT has recently announced their intention to employ 20,000 new delivery officers. The Government congratulated them on the creation of so many jobs. The trouble is there are no new jobs in deliveries. 20,000 jobs at TNT will mean 20,000 less jobs at Royal Mail. TNT pay near minimum wages and they have minimal hour contracts, so employees have to wait to find out if they are needed, for how long and where the delivery will be. This is what is happening right now in the three areas that TNT currently delivers in. They deliver 6 days a week, but not necessarily in the same place. This is because they don’t have to abide by the universal delivery obligation. They don’t have to observe most of the rules that govern Royal Mail, not even quality of service.
Their business model does not cut prices to the public (except to undermine Royal Mail) but it does, on the back of their terms and conditions of employment create big profits for their shareholders. What TNT is doing in the UK is no different to what they did in Holland and the Dutch postal service has been decimated as a result. TNT is not in this business to provide a better or as good a delivery service as us, they are in it to make the most profit at the least cost.

DEFEND YOUR DELIVERY SERVICE
DEFEND YOUR JOBS, YOUR PAY AND YOUR CONDITION
SUPPORT YOUR UNION

[Phantom]

So where is the ballot? how long is it going to take before they ballot us? what are the cwu waiting for?