Royal Mail Sale To Begin Within Weeks

More than 100,000 postal workers may strike next month as the Government pushes ahead with its privatisation of the service.

The most ambitious government privatization in a generation. After a 500 years in business, shares in the Royal Mail could be in the hands of investors within weeks, and the company suddenly worth 3 billion pounds. The chancellor says that’s good for growth.

“This is all about attracting more investments into the Royal Mail, so we will have a brilliant service for public people across the country and businesses that rely on the Royal Mail.”

“This British Gas sheds. Did you know that will be published and expected on November the 25th?”

Back in the heady days of the 1980s, the conservatives sold off big companies like British Gas bit by bit. But even then, M said the Royal Mail was off limits.

Our increasing demands for parcel deliveries means Royal Mail needs more investment to compete, so free from state control it will raise money in the financial markets. It will also cut costs. It worries some workers that depend on the business.

“The Royal Mail privatize will become commercial company or commercial interests which will cost them, may cost them state work away from post offices, which will cost the solute money and make a couple of services unavailable.”

As a deal sweetener, 125,000 Royal Mail staff will receive free shares with 10% for business. That was about 2,000 pounds each. And for just 750 pounds members of the public can also subscribe for shares. Still, unions are angry about cuts to pay and pensions. They plan to push for a nation-wide strike.

“We will be bulleting for a short action within the next 2 weeks, over the impacts of privatization on our members’ job securities, sums and conditions, like the paying pensions. We absolutely clear that it’s not being done, this government plan to privatize the Royal Mail in the interest of customers.”

TNT is a private postal service and a rival to Royal Mail. It doesn’t deliver universal service, and the worry is Royal Mail won’t either.

“Those services should be provided as the right for all of us to receive postal deliveries wherever we live. Those should be provided, but if those losses should be given to whoever has to provide that service. But that doesn’t mean the market should be state-owned, that doesn’t mean the market shouldn’t be competitive. It just means those services should be identified and whoever has to provide those it should be recompensed for the loss of providing them.”

So while the words all the postal service is said to be sold as a separate brand, the post office stays under government’s control for now.

P, Sky News.