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Post in Senate Estimates hearing
Post boss Ahmed Fahour told the Senate Estimates hearing this week that:
- Post employees overwhelmingly supported his proposals to “reform” the postal service. “We have seen overwhelming support from our employees advocating and supporting reform in a very, very positive way,” said Mr Fahour. “I believe it is going incredibly well.” (Really!)
- “There will be no forced redundancy on any employee who is looking for work inside Post and is affected by reform.” But Mr Fahour appears to be putting qualifications on his promise of no forced redundancies. For example, he did not rule out job losses in regional Australia.
- “One of the reform options was that we would do fewer mail deliveries, fewer than 5days.” “We have now “guaranteed” 5 days a week delivery.”
- Figures in the Australia Post Annual Report showing a decline in mail volumes only relate to the reserved letters service. (Post has split the figures for reserved and non-reserved letters. Total mail volumes are no longer being provided in the Annual Report, even though this figure has been provided since at least as far back as 1975.)
- Modelling of “reform” proposals shows an impact on staff. But Mr Fahour said that he we won’t provide the modelling until August. “We have to let the consultation run its process,” he said. (Don’t know how that can happen without information on job impacts being provided to the union!)
- There will be no forced redundancies. People will be redeployed from mails to parcels. But “if people want to leave that is a separate issue.”(whatever that means)
- We are meeting with the union on a monthly basis to discuss the “reforms”. (Mr Fahour addressed a meeting in April but was unavailable for questions. The Vic Branch Secretary was not admitted to the meeting. One Branch Secretary dominated the meeting to ensure that few questions could be asked let alone answered.)
