During UNI SCORE’s organizing training, Director General of Pakistan Post, Rubine Tayyeb, agreed to a joint meeting with UNI Global Union and the presidents of the five formal recognized postal unions. This was the first time Pakistan Post management agreed to an official meeting with all postal unions.
On behalf of the unions, Cornelia Broos, Head of Department for UNI Post & Logistics demanded the DG finally recognize the unions in order to set up formal relationships with post management and start negotiations. The unions will now engage in collective bargaining in post towards the first agreement in a decade.
Rajendra Acharya, assistant regional secretary UNI APRO and Fasih ud Din from UNI PALC also present in the meeting will assist and support them in their further work at the regional and national level.
“UNI’s priority is to ensure fair and respectful labour relations all over the world”, said Cornelia Broos.
“We support national unions with our Memorandums of Understandings with the UPU and the APPU and Global Agreements with multinational companies and we will work together to achieve recognition and respect for our affiliates.”
Uptonow, Pakistan Post has refused to establish formal relationships with the unions and hasn’t fulfilled Pakistan labour law. In the meeting Ms. Tayyeb made assurances about normalising and formalising the relationship with the unions and engaging in negotiations. She also pledged to ensure that unions fees from postal workers will be transferred to the unions correctly in the future.
The organizing training and the formal meeting with the DG of Pakistan Post were a first break through and the first step to set the scene in the relations with the management. Now it is up to the Pakistan unions to grow and start negotiations. Andy Snoddy, Head of UNI SCORE, provided organizing training for union growth. The unions decided to go one step further by the creating a postal federation with all five unions to strengthen union power.
“In implementing an organizing strategy and showing unity by creating a federation, we are confident that postal workers finally will get justice by strong unions representing them. UNI Global will support the unions in achieving their goals and win the agreement at the end,” the Pakistan unions’ spokesperson said.
