The Universal Postal Union and Union Network International signed a cooperation agreement to promote social dialogue aimed at the sustainable development of postal services at the international level.
The two groups will establish joint actions focusing on the effect of postal sector development on jobs, particularly involving health and security, as well as the improvement and development of postal staff skills.
The organizations also agreed to continue to promote the provision of postal financial services, particularly electronic money transfer services, through the international postal network.
The agreement was signed at UPU headquarters in Bern, Switzerland, by UPU director general Edouard Dayan and UNI general secretary Philip Jennings, the groups said yesterday.
The UPU, a United Nations specialized agency, is the main forum for cooperation among posts. Along with maintaining a universal network that provides modern products and services, it establishes rules for international mail exchanges among its 190 members and makes recommendations to stimulate mail volume growth and improve service quality for customers.
With 15 million members, 2.5 million of them postal sector workers, Union Network International is one of the world's largest groupings of trade unions. The American Postal Workers Union is affiliated with UNI, and the National Association of Letter Carriers participates in the group.
“The challenge for governments, posts and the UPU as an organization is to provide a forum where all stakeholders can meet to engage in constructive dialogue on issues of common interest,” Dayan said. “There are good examples where postal operators, through continuous dialogue with trade unions and consumer organizations, were able to make adjustments to their network without lowering productivity and quality of service. This agreement is further proof of the important role that the UPU plays in bringing together all postal sector actors and to serve as a genuine global forum for the development of the entire sector.”
Melissa Campanelli covers postal news, CRM and database marketing for DM News and DMNews.com. To keep up with the latest developments in these areas, subscribe to our daily and weekly e-mail newsletters by visiting www.dmnews.com/newsletters
