Latest / Early Edition with Ryan Bridge / John Maynard: Postal Workers Union critical of NZ Post service reduction

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John Maynard: Postal Workers Union critical of NZ Post service reduction · Early Edition with Ryan Bridge

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Another post. You shake up the government letting New Zealand
• 0:02
  Speaker 1: Post count back to just two delivery days a week
• 0:04
  Speaker 1: in town's three in rural areas. Nothing changing straight away,
• 0:07
  Speaker 1: but the levers there to pull. John Maynard, as co
• 0:10
  Speaker 1: president of the Postal Workers Union, Good morning, John.
• 0:13
  Speaker 2: Are good morning?
• 0:14
  Speaker 1: Your thoughts.
• 0:16
  Speaker 2: Well, it's not entirely unexpected because we've been very critical
• 0:20
  Speaker 2: of New Zealand Posts really failing to fight its corner
• 0:24
  Speaker 2: and energetically comply if you like, with the State and
• 0:28
  Speaker 2: Enterprises Act. It's required the companies required to operate as
• 0:33
  Speaker 2: a private company like any other private company, but they
• 0:36
  Speaker 2: also have a requirement in the State and Enterprises Act
• 0:40
  Speaker 2: to have regard for the interests of the community, and
• 0:43
  Speaker 2: that proposal is from Mby allowing New zim Post to
• 0:47
  Speaker 2: drop rural delivery to three days a week is a
• 0:50
  Speaker 2: huge hit for the people living in those areas and
• 0:54
  Speaker 2: of course for the relationship they have with the courier
• 0:56
  Speaker 2: right with the real delivery drivers for their mail was
• 1:01
  Speaker 2: six days a week, now it's five days a week.
• 1:03
  Speaker 2: Their mail and their supplies.
• 1:04
  Speaker 1: John, most people listening to this probably haven't sent a
• 1:07
  Speaker 1: letter in I don't know years. Can you know, do
• 1:10
  Speaker 1: we have to be practical and reasonable about this.
• 1:15
  Speaker 2: They may not have sent too many letters, but they
• 1:17
  Speaker 2: get letters, They get mail, and particularly people in the
• 1:21
  Speaker 2: rural areas. We know there's a very strong reaction from
• 1:24
  Speaker 2: them when it went from six days to five, so
• 1:27
  Speaker 2: we understand they'll be pretty upset when it goes from
• 1:30
  Speaker 2: five to four. But they don't just get mail, they
• 1:32
  Speaker 2: do get other supplies. And yes, New Zealand Post is
• 1:35
  Speaker 2: required to operate as any other company and make a
• 1:40
  Speaker 2: profit and the government governments have been really strict on
• 1:44
  Speaker 2: New Zealand Posts returning a dividend to the government. So
• 1:48
  Speaker 2: it's almost like it's more important to return to give
• 1:51
  Speaker 2: dividend to the government than to provide the sort of
• 1:54
  Speaker 2: service that's really important for people in rural areas.
• 1:57
  Speaker 1: John, appreciate your time this morning, Thanks so much for
• 1:59
  Speaker 1: being with me. It's John Maynard, co president of the
• 2:01
  Speaker 1: Postal Workers' Union. For more from Early Edition with Ryan Bridge,
• 2:05
  Speaker 1: listen live to News Talks at b from five am weekdays,
• 2:09
  Speaker 1: or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.