Christine Holgate on Day Five in her new role asks an anonymous whistle blower ‘post worker’ to step forward and meet with her during this morning’s visit to the Sydney West Letters Facility.
She assures the whistle blower in an email response there will be no retribution, providing her personal mobile number so he/she can talk directly during her visit.
‘Thank you for copying me on your letter and having the openness and courage to share your thoughts.
I am visiting your facility this morning. It's day 5 in the role and I clearly have a lot to learn and observe but I want to reassure all staff that I am absolutely committed to helping protect and build Australia Post.
If you would like to meet me or talk to me directly, my mobile is …
I will ensure you, if you meet me, there will be no retribution. We must, working together, encourage and allow open conversations and debate, this is critical if we are to build our future.’
In an exclusive interview with Patrick Howard, Print21, she expressed her appreciation of the courage it takes for the whistle blower to come forward. “All organizations face challenges. We are a massive organization of more than one hundred thousand people when you include contractors. It’s important we take these opportunities to share and explain.
“I always try to respond personally. It’s so easy to walk in on management presentations, which are also important, but meeting employees is part of my mission to Listen, Observe and Learn. Even if the facts are not always correct, their perception provides an important insight,” she said.
During the three months prior to taking over the role this week Holgate says she and her husband visited postal services in ten different countries. They also drop in on rural post offices around Australia. “I think people are shocked when we arrive, but they are the frontline people and very important to Australia Post,” she said.
The original email from ‘post worker’ details an extraordinary list of abuses and management deceit in the operation of the Sydney West Letters Facility. It charges that Australia Post is targeting over 60-year-old workers for redundancies, fast tracking mail that measures performance through micro chips and rigging figures to show lower volumes than actually being processed.