{"id":9779,"date":"2016-09-12T17:46:34","date_gmt":"2016-09-12T16:46:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/unitelive.org\/?p=9779"},"modified":"2016-09-15T13:31:44","modified_gmt":"2016-09-15T12:31:44","slug":"post-office-has-failed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/?p=9779","title":{"rendered":"Post Office has failed"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Seconding a motion on the crisis in the Post Office, Unite EC member and delegate Ivan Monckton said that Unite was proud that, its post office managers had taken industrial action on pensions, job losses and the franchising of Crown post offices.<\/p>\n

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\u00e2\u20ac\u015bThe pension issue needs to be seen against the backdrop of continuing redundancies and the latest franchising of 20 Crown post offices which are a result of the failure of top management to have a viable and sustainable business plan to secure services for the public and jobs for the workforce in the future,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 he said.<\/p>\n

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Monckton expressed concern over the government\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s support for closing the pension scheme, while refusing to provide the necessary funding for the Post Office to go forward.<\/p>\n

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\u00e2\u20ac\u015bUltimately, the British public will suffer as they see the services offered by a much-loved institution being eroded by neglect from the top.<\/p>\n

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\u00e2\u20ac\u015bUnite had asked for a government investigation into the Post Office \u00e2\u20ac\u201c but this was rejected by junior business minister Margot James,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 reported Monckton.<\/p>\n

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\u00e2\u20ac\u015bIt was made clear that the government\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s priority is the sub-office network at the expense of the 300-strong Crown office network which has been the backbone of the Post Office for decades.<\/p>\n

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\u00e2\u20ac\u015bThe decision to close the pension scheme is happening at a time when the scheme continues to be in surplus to the tune of between \u00c2\u0141100m to \u00c2\u0141130m.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

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He added that Unite members were angry that the Post Office was letting them down through a lack of a clear-cut strategy for the business and its\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 failure to balance the books.<\/p>\n

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He urged the conference to \u00e2\u20ac\u015bsupport a vibrant, public post office,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 as closures affected the most vulnerable in society. The motion was carried.<\/p>\n

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