Is Greene Royal Mail’s Hired Gun for Privatization?
Is Moya Greene, the incoming chief executive of the UK’s Royal Mail, going to push the service toward privatization?
It’s hard not to think of this considering some parts of her track record.
Now don’t get me wrong. She has served as CEO of Canada Post for the past six years and apparently done a fine job.
But she came to that position after once serving as Assistant Deputy Minister, Policy, at Transport Canada, where among other thing she was responsible for the privatization of the Canadian National railway system, according to Canada Post. If you don’t believe me, check it out for yourself at http://canadapost.ca/cpo/mc/aboutus/corporate/management/moyagreene/default.jsf
That’s no small undertaking.
The issue of privatizing, or at least partially privatizing, Royal Mail has been floating around at least since the end of 2008. At that time, the government of then-Prime Minister Gordon Brown proposed selling off part of Royal Mail to Dutch courier company TNT plc. This move was billed as a way to raise money for modernization and possibly to help pay down a multibillion pound pension deficit, To learn more, click here http://directmag.com/directmail/royal-mail-sell-tnt-1217/index.html
Last year, however, the Communication Workers Union, the labor group representing most of Royal Mail’s workers, vehemently opposed privatization and threatened a strike (later called off) partly over privatization plans. Click for more http://directmag.com/postal/1023-postal-royalmail/index.html
Of course, Greene by herself does not have the power to privatize Royal Mail. But it looks likely she’ll be a strong advocate for the idea.
But given her history, and a more conservative government in power now, it’s quite likely the Royal Mail privatization movement just got some new life.
