Plans by the new coalition government to privatise Royal Mail have been slammed by the CWU as “regurgitated failed policies.”
Despite the company’s strong financial performance and newly agreed three-year modernisation strategy, the government has unveiled proposals to split Post Office Limited from Royal Mail Group and privatise the UK’s postal service.
Pointing out that the government’s announcement clearly contradicts its boasts of “new politics,” CWU general secretary Billy Hayes said: “This is old politics wrapped in new language.
“The British public has consistently rejected the privatisation of Royal Mail and the move to regurgitate failed policies will be deeply unpopular.”
When Richard Hooper recommended a part sell-off some 18 months ago, a key justification that he made at the time was that, in his opinion, private-sector involvement was the only way to improve industrial relations and modernise the business.
But the CWU argues that the recently concluded national agreement between the CWU and Royal Mail – Business Transformation: 2010 and Beyond – clearly proves Mr Hooper wrong on that score.
And Royal Mail’s annual financial results, which were released on the same day that the government unveiled its privatisation plans, provide strong evidence that modernisation by agreement within the public sector is a recipe for success.
CWU deputy general secretary Dave Ward said that the figures – profits up by 26 per cent from last year – showed that “Royal Mail has again proved is a strong leader in the mail industry.
“Postal workers have made a significant contribution through increased efficiency in all Royal Mail Group businesses, but the only way to sustain success, and deal with the real challenges that lie ahead, is for Royal Mail to remain wholly within the public sector.
“The three-year deal which we have agreed with the company for transformation will continue to provide stability and a framework for successful modernisation in the public sector,” Dave added.
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