by Dongying Wang

    LONDON, Feb. 28 (Xinhua) -- British people, from postal workers to union leaders, from politicians to the general public, have expressed mixed feelings for the proposal to partially privatize Britain's national postal service, the Royal Mail.

    British Business Secretary Lord Mandelson has insisted that the plan is the only way to ensure the future of Britain's postal service. However, the plan to sell off some 30 percent of Royal Mail has angered those who see it as a loss of their heritage.

    The Royal Mail can trace its history back nearly five hundred years. However, it did not become a public service until 1635, when postage was paid by the recipient. In 1840, Britain became the first country in the world to introduce the postage stamp, the Penny Black.

    TECHNOLOGICAL CHALLENGES

    The industry has failed to adapt properly in the face of increased use of the Internet and modern electronic communication.

    In the last 15 years, the number of letters sent by Royal Mail has dropped significantly since people began to use e-mail and text messaging from mobile phones to keep in touch with friends and relatives.

    A first-class letter costing 39 pence (some 56 U.S. cents) to send may arrive the following day within mainland Britain, but an e-mail will take only seconds.

    As a result, Royal Mail has already suffered many cutbacks over the last few years. Services have been cut with daily deliveries being reduced from two postal deliveries per day to only one. In the late 19th century, there were between six and twelve daily deliveries in London.

    However, on the other hand, the postal service has benefited from increased Internet sales which rely on traditional methods of delivery. As people demand secure postal services, the Royal Mail has to compete with other world leading mail service providers, such as TNT, DHL, FedEx and UPS.

    AWKWARD GOVERNMENT POSITION

    The deal has put the government in a difficult position, with critics asking why they can afford to bail out banks but not this key public service.

    Prime Minister Gordon Brown met with more than 100 angry protesters as he arrived at the National Policy Forum in the city of Bristol in southwest England on Saturday. Postal Union representatives were set to make speeches at the forum despite no formal agenda having previously been set.

    Even within Brown's own party, there is strong opposition.

    Geraldine Smith has been leading a campaign by some 130 Labour Members of Parliament who are vehemently opposed to the sell-off. She has criticized Mandelson's plan, calling it a disgrace.

    "He (Mandelson) says the industry is insolvent, well the whole of the UK is insolvent; what should we do? Sell off Wales?" Smith has exclaimed.

    The Labour Member of Parliament added that only a derisory two hundred million pounds (some 290 million U.S. Dollars) would be raised from any sell-off of what she described as a "great public institution."

    But while conceding that the industry needs reshaping, she insisted that putting it up for sale was not the right decision. "It has to be properly managed, but if Mandelson thinks it's so poorly managed then sack the managers, not sell the business."

    Meanwhile, Minister for Employment Relations and Postal Affairs Pat McFadden insisted that the plan was "not a privatization" but a way of bringing in much needed investment to an ailing publicly owned industry.

    He said the government was seeking a "new partner on a minority basis" and that the industry would remain publicly owned.

    The minister added that money was needed not only to put Royal Mail on a "proper track of modernization" but also to give security to the workforce.

    "We want a package which deals with the pension fund deficit" which he said was more than 7 billion pounds (some 10 billion U.S. dollars).

    MIXED UNION AND PUBLIC REACTIONS

    Trade unions have been enraged by the recently introduced Postal Services Bill, which includes the privatization plan and proposes to modernize the postal service.

    They claim that the bill could put up to 40,000 jobs at risk, and raised concerns over pay, working conditions and pensions.

    Britain's general trade union GMB is angry that the Labour government appears to be going back on its 2005 election manifesto pledge to keep the Royal Mail within the public sector.

    The anger which is building among unions may strike a painful blow to Labour as some are threatening to withdraw their donations to the party. The Communication Workers' Union has warned that it may suspend its annual donation of nearly 1 million pounds (some 1.45 million U.S. dollars) to the party.

    One media business analyst, who preferred not to be named, warned that the privatization deal may ultimately fail.

    "Remember, Margaret Thatcher never privatized the Post Office because she knew it was going to blow up. The public values the postal service," the analyst told Xinhua.

    However, the responses to the privatization deal are split amongst the general public.

    The majority see it as something that threatens the future of a public institution. For Luddites and traditionalists, the posting of a letter is seen as an important public service that should not be privatized.

    However, some are resigned to the fact that technology has had an effect on the sector. And to those using the Internet and mobile phones, the erosion of the postal service means little.

    John Peachy, a retired journalist, said the plan was not much different from the private investment in schools and hospitals, conducted through franchises.

    But he conceded, "I must say I don't understand the plan and haven't paid much attention to it."

    He believes the effect of the Internet and the drop in the number of letters being posted was only having a marginal effect on Royal Mail's profits.

    "Parcels are where the money is really scored," he said, "So I don't think the sell-off will make any difference whatsoever."

    While accepting that postal workers themselves might not be happy with the government's proposals, some members of the public feel that it is only a matter of time before the government had to step in to do something.

    Phil Wyath, a carpenter in his late 50s told Xinhua, "The whole industry needs reshaping, it needs a complete shake-up."

    But Wyath warned that the service may become less efficient after being privatized. "It could become like the railways, which were sold off, and puts profits before public service," he said.

    Asked about his own use of the postal system, Wyath said, "I don't really send letters except for official ones, like tax returns, and of course cards at Christmas."

    Even so, he is annoyed by the growing amount of postal junk mails that arrive on his doormat daily. "You buy one product from a mail-order or Internet company and then you're inundated with a constant stream of unwanted catalogues and brochures," he said. "I seem to spend half my life shredding this rubbish."

    As for electronic mail, there are no wasted trees at least, he said.