Brazil’s Post Office will not be privatised minister pledges

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Brazil’s Post Office will not be privatised, minister pledges

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Brazil’s communications minister Paul Bernardo has declared that the country’s postal operator Correios will not be privatised.

Bernardo was speaking last week as the company celebrated 42 years in its current form, the Post and Telegraph Company (ECT or Correios).

He said at the ceremony at the headquarters of the Postal University in Brasilia that the Brazilian government was pledging “loud and clear” that the privatization was not an option for Correios.

The minister insisted: “Correios is a company that is absolutely important to Brazil, and this government - like the last government - will never allow such a thing.”

The Ministry of Communications said Bernardo’s speech was a response to “false rumours” that the federal government was considering selling off ECT divisions to the private sector.

During Bernardo’s speech, he noted that Brazil’s new President, Dilma Vana Rousseff, had handed his ministry the major task of strengthening and modernizing Correios, to enhance the postal company’s presence in the market and in Brazilian society.

He said improving the conditions for Correios employees would be an important step in strengthening the company and would lead to improving service quality for the people.

Correios is currently in the process of hiring 9,190 new staff – including 8,136 middle level workers such as office workers, clerks, sorting and transport operators, as well as 844 upper-level positions including analysts, medical and safety officers – as its previously defunct recruitment system was re-started last week.

Constitution

Correios is set to gain a new constitution under the administration of the new Brazilian President, which began at the start of 2011 – subject to approval by Brazil’s Congress.

Bernardo pointed out that the current statute had been in force since 1969, and was established when Brazil was still under military rule.

One of the changes to the constitution the minister is calling for is for specialists from outside the organisation, including from other public agencies, to be brought in to advise Correios on priority areas. While such a move is not currently allowed by postal regulations, it does happen in other public institutions both federal and state agencies.

“It will be important because it will modernise the company institutionally,” said the minister.