A cooperation agreement signed today by the Universal Postal Union (UPU) and UNI Global Union will see the two organizations work together on programmes benefiting postal workers and their communities.
“The postal sector is a major employer worldwide, and an active member of society. This collaboration will help us shed light on how postal operators can serve not only their staff, but also the communities in which they operate,” UPU Director General Bishar A. Hussein said during the signing ceremony, held before member countries and observers attending the plenary session of the UPU’s Council of Administration (CA).
The postal sector employs some 5.3 million people worldwide, reaching even the most remote communities with its network of more than 677,000 post offices.
On behalf of UNI Global Union, the organization’s General Secretary Christy Hoffman added, “The postal sector is facing multiple challenges because of the ongoing digital revolution, but at heart the essential issues remain the same: the right to decent work and the right to organize and to collectively bargain. UNI specifically welcomes the agreement’s plan to innovate and expand the areas of potential postal employment in this new world of work.”
Under the agreement, the two organizations will work together on securing the resilience of postal operators and their staff, focusing on three core areas: community work, sustainable development and employment statistics.
This will include engaging postal staff in activities related to health, ageing and vocational training, developing capacity building and outreach activities on environmental, economic and social sustainable development, and analyzing postal employment trends.
It is not the first time the two organizations have worked together: for example, the two organizations ran a successful HIV-prevention campaign in post offices worldwide between 2009 and 2011. UNI Global Union is also a member of the UPU’s Consultative Committee, which represents the interests of wider postal sector players and reports to the CA.
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The Universal Postal Union is a UN specialized agency with its headquarters in the Swiss capital Berne. Established in 1874, it is one of the world’s oldest international organizations and is the primary forum for cooperation between postal sector players.
For further information, please contact:
David Dadge
Manager, Communication and Events Programme
Universal Postal Union (UPU)
Executive Office Directorate
T +41 31 350 31 23
E david.dadge[at]upu.int