Privatisation of La Poste on hold

PRIVATISING La Poste is no longer a government priority, a presidential advisor has announced.

Henri Guaino insisted in a radio interview that the plan – part of an EU-wide initiative to free up the postage market – had merely been shelved for the moment.

Mr Guaino said that in the current financial climate there was “no question” of opening La Poste to private investment.

The government had previously said the group would be transformed into a société anonyme in 2010 in preparation for private investment by 2011.

Mr Guaino said that although this timetable was still valid, the government would be focussing on other priorities, namely the economic and social fallout of the global financial crisis.

Unions and left-wing politicians had denounced the plan and during the summer launched a petition against it.

President Sarkozy set up a commission in mid-September to discuss the policy.

The secretary of the federation of the Sud-PTT union, Régis Blanchot, said the delay made sense but demanded the government drop the idea entirely.