Postal strikes: One person's rights can be another's difficulties

|PIC1|You could be forgiven for thinking that the effects of the recent postal strike are over. Let me assure you that they are not over yet and, for some, the consequences will continue for a long time.

I suppose in one sense it is all about perceived rights and even choices, which seemingly do not immediately impact lives. Let me explain.

As a charity with supporters across the UK, World Emergency Relief relies heavily on the postal service to deliver donations, the majority of our income, to us on a daily basis. Unlike many larger charities we do not carry large cash reserves in our bank. So if there is a turndown in our income, as has been the case with little or no post arriving in recent weeks, the impact is immediate. And it hits hard.

Even now that the strikes are over, there are still severe delays in the postal system. One day last week we received 45 letters through the post, the next day we received 1400, the following day it was back down to just 100. It is obvious that there is still a major backlog. And donations from our supporters, their precious gifts which are helping thousands of children living in extreme poverty around the world, are taking too long to reach us.

Letters which WER sent out on 3rd October have still not been delivered. Yet we still have to pay for the service, even though it is simply not working.

We suspect that many supporters were discouraged from sending money last month because of the strikes and may not do so now, even though the strike is officially over. So we have lost that income forever.

Should I get angry with the postmen? They went on strike because of a perceived grievance. Some of them are very friendly and professional, others are less so. Do I tell them that because of their strike we have not been able to send funds to overseas partner organisations who desperately need our support? Is that knowledge likely to make a jot of difference?

The postmen presumably want to protect their future. But their right to take action to protect their living has had an immediate impact on thousands of children and communities around the world.

I do believe it is vital for us to think and look beyond the immediate when we make our decisions. We need to consider others and the impact of the choices we make. That to me is an important Christian principle.

As WER looks to the future, the strike has brought us to a decision to move much of our business away from Royal Mail, just as it has with many charities and businesses. This choice will again affect Royal Mail staff and their future employment. WER has made a choice which will have an impact. Choices do have consequences.

About Alex Haxton:

Alex has been Director of Operations at Christian humanitarian agency World Emergency Relief (WER) for the past seven years and before that worked as a consultant to the charity.

His business career was spent in the catering equipment industry for over 20 years before he moved on to Christian ministry which is how he first came to go to Africa.

A few months spent at Roffey Place Christian Centre brought a more radical change than anticipated, and it was there that Alex met a Pastor from Burundi who became a central influence on his life, even to this day.

He has since worked in Christian ministry, which he describes as "a call of God we must not ignore".

It was the work in Burundi and Rwanda, post genocide, which eventually brought Alex into contact with WER as he sought funding for relief and medical work in those countries. He remains heavily involved with humanitarian and development work worldwide through WER.

About World Emergency Relief:

World Emergency Relief is a non-denominational, global fellowship of Christians, working together, and with others, to help people in need. Underlying World Emergency Relief's efforts are God's love for this WORLD He created, the physical, emotional, spiritual, social and economic EMERGENCIES afflicting millions, and the RELIEF we can bring to hurting people, especially children, thanks to God's unending mercy coupled with the generosity of our donors.