By JUDY SIEGEL-ITZKOVICH
The resolution of remaining disputes between Postal Authority workers and the government over the weekend has paved the way for the authority to turn into a government postal company, it was announced on Saturday night.
Communications Minister Dalia Itzik said that the main winners from the opening of the postal services to competition are consumers and the national economy. Itzik met with Finance Minister Ehud Olmert, who instructed their officials to take the necessary steps to bring about a government postal company. Then budgets chief Kobi Haber, Postal Authority council chairman Ya'acov Edri and Postal Authority director-general Avi Hochman met with Histadrut official Ofer Eini and postal union head Reuven Karazi.
They finally "found a solution to the need to close the actuarial deficit in the workers' pension funds while ensuring the new postal company's ability to meet its commitments," the authority spokesman said.
Government pensions will be arranged for postal workers who were transferred to Postal Authority from the Communications Ministry when the authority was established in 1987. This has for several years been one of the main roadblocks preventing the founding of a postal company.