Universal and affordable post for all

[TrueBlueTerrier]

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Billy Hayes insists that the union "shares the concerns of many" at plans to raise postage stamp prices and has assured consumer groups and campaigners for the elderly and vulnerable that "the CWU will strive to ensure no-one is priced out of accessing the universal service."

Proposals by industry watchdog Ofcom to remove price caps from first-class stamps and raise the upper limit for second class to 55p are among a broad range of measures aimed at changing the regulatory regime in the UK postal industry.

And it was the issue of stamp prices that sparked widespread media attention when the proposals were brought before a Parliamentary inquiry on Tuesday, when backbench MPs on the Business, Innovation and Skills Select Committee quizzed senior figures from both Ofcom and consumer watchdog Consumer Focus.

Reporting on the session afterwards, the Guardian's Kathryn Hughes said that the price rises "could end the democracy that the Penny Black began," while Becky Barrow used Select Committee Chairman Adrian Bailey's quip - "should I buy my Christmas card stamps now before they go up" - to headline her Daily Mail piece.

In the Telegraph, John-Paul Ford Rojas also referenced Mr Bailey, quoting the West Bromwich West MP's claim that the proposed increases would have a "disastrous" effect on mail volumes, and the Times's Robert Lea quoted Consumer Focus postal industry spokesman Robert Hammond, who had argued that "price rises are not the saviour."

Billy Hayes said that it was "not surprising" that the press had focused on the prospect of stamp price rises when they reported this week's Parliamentary probe.

"But, it's also important to look at some of the other aspects of the Ofcom report, many of which the CWU supports," our general secretary continued.

CWU hopes that the Ofcom plan, overall, will provide a level playing field among operators in the industry and remove what it describes as "bureaucratic barriers" to the development of new products and services.

"We are pleased that the former regulator Postcomm has now been abolished and we welcome Ofcom's extended remit," explains Billy, who points out that merging the regulation of communications with the postal and logistics industry "has an industrial, business and social logic.

"Under Postcomm, the industry was ridiculously over-burdened with a whole host of petty rules and regulations that prevented Royal Mail from innovating and improving service to the public - any proposed new products had to be submitted to Postcomm and await a cumbersome three-month approval period - no wonder Royal Mail struggled to modernise."

CWU deputy general secretary Dave Ward explains further: "Under the new regime outlined by Ofcom, businesses in the industry will be able to develop, introduce and rollout new systems, services and ideas far more quickly - and that's got to be good for jobs, good for the public and for the businesses who rely on our services," he added.

Both Billy Hayes and Dave Ward insist that the union "shares the concerns of many" at plans to raise postage stamp prices and the CWU has assured consumer groups and campaigners for the elderly and vulnerable that "the CWU will strive to ensure no-one is priced out of accessing the universal service."

[DirtyHarry]

Come on you two berks, what about our deteriorating conditions of work?
The job gets worse by the year. Even tomorrow, Saturday, is now what the MON-FRI bosses call a "normal working day." B'stards.