Britain opts for an increase in junk mail... and there is a job opening at Canada Post

Things that fly under the radar. Canada's highest paid bureaucrat is quitting at Canada Post and going for an even higher paying job at... The Royal Mail.

Royal Mail has named Moya Greene as its new chief executive, the first female to be appointed to the role.

Ms Greene, who is currently chief executive of Canada Post, will take up the position at the beginning of July.

Hmmm.... there was probably no need to highlight gender, but that seems to excite the BBC.

Moya Greene, as the highest paid public sector employee in Canada, was constantly at loggerheads with the unions at Canada Post. The unions accused her of signing off on a collective agreement and then promptly making a concerted effort to tear it up.

And if you think Greene was being somewhat over-compensated in her native land, wait until you see what the Brits are going to pay her. (Emphasis mine)

It it understood that she will be on a basic salary of just under £500,000 ($720,000).

The Treasury says that sort of remuneration needs its approval as is above the £142,000 cap the government has placed on public sector salaries.

Anything higher than that needs the permission of the chief secretary to the Treasury, David Laws.

The Royal Mail's position is believed to be that it is a commercial organisation, and therefore does not need the say-so of the government.

The Treasury, when contacted by the BBC, would not say if permission had been either sought, or granted.

This is sounding like a familiar old story.

Royal Mail workers might want to brace themselves. Things could get a little testy in the coming months. In the meantime, UK posties should get used to heavier mail bags and residents will need larger recycle bins.

And since Britain's "new government" is finding expensive Canadians so damned attractive, how about they take Celine Dion, Bryan Adams and David Hahn while their at it.

Now.... who is Harper going to reward with this plum position at Canada Post? If you don't think this new and sudden vacancy is important, you haven't been paying attention.

Going postal

Canada Post is still ours, right? It does still belong to us.

So why would the federal government appoint a panel of three people, the chair of which has already written two books advocating the end of postal monopolies, to determine whether Canada Post should be allowed to continue to provide us with universal service and some of the lowest postal rates in the world, or whether it would somehow be better to deregulate it so that private corps can have a piece of it?

The government has said it has no plans to privatize Canada Post, but what are the chances CP can survive a bidding war for contracts against private companies with non-unionized jobs?
And then there's the privacy angle -
Public Service Alliance of Canada:

"If any of participating corporations were based in the United States, they would be subject to the terms of the USA Patriot Act, which gives the U.S. government access to private information contained in the mail."

Well no need to worry yet - I'm sure all this will come out at the public hearings.
Oops. No public hearings.
Unlike previous reviews which held public meetings throughout Canada, this three person panel is only accepting written submissions from June till Sept. 2.
Gosh and I'll bet a lot of people are away at the summer cottage at the moment too.

The problem with deregulation is that it allows private corps to snap up the most lucrative aspects of a public corporation, leaving it - and us - with the debts associated with delivering the less profitable parts - like mail to that remote cottage - and paying more for less service.
Then there is usually another follow-up review panel which concludes that - surprise, surprise - the gutted public corporation just isn't financially sustainable any more so we may as well sell it off for whatever we can get for it. Like this :

From the bio of Moya Greene, Canada Post President & CEO :

"As Assistant Deputy Minister, Policy, in the Department of Transportation, Ms. Greene was responsible for broad reform of the over-burdened transportation system; the privatization of CN; the deregulation of the Canadian airline industry; and the commercialization of the Canadian port system."

So how is the deregulation and privatization of mail doing in other countries?
Hmmmm ... not so good.

In May 2007, United Parcel Service of America (UPS) lost its NAFTA Chapter 11 case against the Government of Canada regarding Canada Post's delivery of public sector services. UPS had claimed that Canada Post represented unfair competition for private companies providing similar services.
Is the Canada Post Corporation Strategic Review panel going to carry UPS's water for them?

Your submission here :
Canada Post Corporation Strategic Review

h/t to the indefatigable Waterbaby
Cross-posted at Creekside