Is NZ Post exhibiting “a sense of social responsibility” over Post Shop closures? – Postal Workers Union of Aotearoa

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After the strong public reaction against the potential closure of its last 79 Post Shops the Postal Workers Union is asking NZ Post to demonstrate how it believes the state owned enterprise has complied with the social responsibility provisions of the State Owned Enterprises Act.

The State Owned Enterprises Act requires NZ Post to be “an organisation that exhibits a sense of social responsibility by having regard to the interests of the community in which it operates and by endeavouring to accommodate or encourage these when able to do so.”

The Postal Workers Union consistently challenged NZ Post’s failure to first consult with local communities before quietly removing around 1500 road-side post boxes throughout the country. The Union believes that the widespread removal of road-side post boxes without “having regard to the interests” of the local communities has accelerated the decline in letter volumes and public confidence in the Government owned postal service.

The Union questions why the Government would consider spending extra money to set up as yet unspecified “postal and banking hubs” when the Government could support the existing Post Shop infrastructure by subsidising NZ Post to be able to fulfil its “social responsibility” obligations. As a first step the Government could not require NZ Post to pay a dividend back to the Government.

The Postal Workers Union, with members in daily contact with householders and business owners throughout the country, has consistently spoken up on behalf of the citizens’ right to ready access to a sustainable, efficient and trustworthy publicly owned postal network.

The Postal Workers Union opposes the privatisation of Government services, which includes allocating franchises to private businesses to supply postal services, and supports those community groups challenging the closing of Post Shops.