Social dialogue agreement in the postal sector 

In November 2005, the Universal Postal Union and Union Network International signed a cooperation agreement aimed at promoting social dialogue between the two organisations.

A cooperation agreement on social dialogue was signed on 8 November 2005 by the Universal Postal Union (UPU) and the global union, Union Network International (UNI). The UPU is a United Nations (UN) specialised agency, based in Berne, Switzerland, and acts as a forum for cooperation between postal services. UNI is a global union with 15 million members, 2.5 million of which are employed in the postal sector. The agreement is available to affiliates only in [English](http://www.union-network.org/unipostal.nsf/By Date/AE6F05F5579B8900C12570B4003E006B?OpenDocument), [French](http://www.union-network.org/unipostal.nsf/By Date/F92619F7F2585895C12570B4003E1BB0?OpenDocument) and [Spanish](http://www.union-network.org/unipostal.nsf/By Date/A6B523E185A8241CC12570B4003E32AD?OpenDocument).

In the agreement, the two organisations make a commitment to establish joint actions that focus on the employment impact of developments in the postal sector, looking in particular at health and safety of workers and the improvement and development of the skills of postal workers. UPU and UNI agree that the provision of postal financial services such as electronic money transfer services through the international postal network should be encouraged as it is an important source of job creation as well as the fact that it provides an important service of affordable money transfers to migrant workers and their relatives.

UPU Director General Edouard Dayan welcomed the agreement, which will usher in a closer working relationship between the two organisations: 'The challenge for governments, Posts and the UPU as an organisation is to provide a forum where all stakeholders can meet to engage in constructive dialogue on issues of common interest. There are good examples where postal operators, through continuous dialogue with trade unions and consumer organisations, were able to make adjustments to their network without lowering productivity and quality of service. This agreement is further proof of the important role that the UPU plays in bringing together all postal sector actors and to serve as a genuine global forum for the development of the entire sector'.

UNI's General Secretary, Philip Jennings, characterised the accord as a key global agreement for UNI and the first that the union has entered into with a UN organisation. 'We are facing the future together in a rapidly changing postal business environment and we believe that dialogue at all levels between governments, operators and unions is the best way forward. The agreement emphasises the importance of people and places them at the centre of the postal industry. We are proud to be an official observer in the UPU. We have a joint interest in promoting the sustainable development of the sector as well as effective and affordable postal financial services through post offices, particularly money transfer services, thereby helping some of the poorest workers in the world'.

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