Government must prioritize good postal service over profits

NZ Post’s latest attempt to replace employed posties with dependent contractors is just another nail in the coffin for a universal postal service, says the largest union for postal workers, the EPMU.

“This Government has pushed for bigger and bigger dividends, which has driven NZ Post to cut costs any way it can,” says Joe Gallagher, EPMU organiser for the postal industry.

“This has led to the closure of three major distribution centres, a move to three-day deliveries, and wave after wave of redundancies, sacrificing good service for profit.

“We’re now in a situation where it could take a week for a letter to get from one side of Dunedin to the other.”

NZ Post has looked to overseas models such as Norway for ideas to deal with the changing nature of post.

“In countries like Norway they’ve certainly adopted new technology and improved the level of service the post offers,” says Joe Gallagher. “But the reason Norway has a world-leading postal service is because they recognise it’s too important to be run just as a business.”

“We call on the Government to recognise that NZ Post is a vital public service which should be run in the public interest, providing secure, well-paid jobs to Kiwis and an effective postal system.”

ENDS

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