The MR group in the Chamber announces the tabling of a bill aiming to introduce a guaranteed service within the universal postal service provided by bpost, similar to what already exists at the SNCB.
“We are entering the third week of the strike at bpost and, in numerous municipalities, citizens are receiving neither mail nor parcels, which is simply unacceptable in a country so dependent on its essential services,” said federal MR MP Gilles Foret during the topical questions session this Thursday in the Chamber.
As a reminder, the State is the reference shareholder of bpost, as with other autonomous public companies, but has not yet given itself the means to demand a genuine guaranteed service.
For the MR, it is essential to protect a minimum core of postal duties, particularly official mail, court documents, medical results, licence plates, communications from authorities, social benefits and items whose absence could cause a serious breach of citizens' fundamental rights.
“What we are asking for is not a maximum service, but a guaranteed service so that refunds, essential documents, notarial deeds, invoices, summonses and other items keep reaching citizens, even during a prolonged social conflict,” insists Gilles Foret. “Just as at the SNCB, where users can keep taking the train while union action is fully exercised, we want to introduce at bpost a similar mechanism of minimum continuity for the benefit of everyone.”
The bill introduces into postal legislation the concept of a “guaranteed postal service”, which requires the universal service provider to ensure a minimum set of services under all circumstances, including during strikes or other major disruptions.
The MR wishes to emphasise that it fully respects the right to strike and the right to collective action, enshrined in the Constitution and case law. “The right to strike must be fully guaranteed, but it can no longer mean the near-total interruption of an essential public service for weeks,” stresses Gilles Foret. “We want to put an end to the current situation where, for rail, a minimum service exists, but where, for post, telecoms or air traffic control, citizens and businesses are left in the lurch at the slightest social conflict,” concludes the federal MP.
The bill will also be extended to other essential sectors, to ensure a guaranteed service comparable to that of the SNCB in aviation and telecommunications.