Civil liberties - in brief (11)
01 August 2006
UK: Royal Mail suspends postman for helping the environment. A postman was suspended from work in Barry, Wales in September after advising his customers on how to stop unsolicited junk mail from being delivered through their letterboxes. Roger Annies was suspended and disciplined by his employer, The Royal Mail, who regard the delivery of advertising material as a lucrative part of their business, whether or not their customers wish to receive it. The scale of the problem was recently estimated in a marketing report cited in The
Scotsman newspaper, which calculated that 3.4 billion pieces of unsolicited junk mail are dumped through British letter boxes every year. Annies was punished by his employers after telling people about their opt-out clause and informing them that "in the near future Royal Mail plans to increase your advertising mail." He suggested that "You may well be interested in reducing your unwanted advertising mail and reduce paper usage in order to help the environment." The Royal Mail has since lifted Mr Annies suspension and said that he will be allowed to keep his job, but will be transferred from his round and is likely to face relegation to the sorting office. If you would like to stop junk mail being delivered through your letterbox contact: Unaddressed mail: Opt-Outs, Royal Mail, Kingsmead House, Oxpens Road, Oxford, OX1 1RX. Addressed mail: MPS, Freepost 29, LON 20771, London, W1E 0ZT, Tel. 0845 4599.
The Scotsman 28.9.06; BBC News 26.9.06.
UK/USA/Iraq: Jornalists deaths reach a deadly new high in Iraq. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has recorded a new low in Iraq with the deadliest ever year for the press in a single country that is detailed in a special report,
In Iraq, journalists deaths spike to record in 2006. The organisation has recorded the deaths of 32 journalists in the country for 2006, the majority of whom were murdered. The figure compares with a press death toll of 22 in 2005, 24 in 2004 and 14 in 2003. The CPJ observes that "for the fourth consecutive year, Iraq was in a category all its own as the deadliest place for journalists. This year's killings bring to 92 the number of journalists who have died in Iraq since the US-led invasion of March 2003. In addition, 37 media support workers - interpreters, drivers, fixers and office workers - have been killed since the war began." Worldwide the CPJ found that 55 journalists were killed in direct connection with their work in 2006. Afghanistan was - along with the Phillipines - the next most dangerous datelines in 2006; three journalists were killed in these countries. Detailed accounts of each case are documented on the CPJ website at
http://www.cpj.org/Briefings/2006/killed_06.html.
Committee to Protect Journalists "In Iraq, journalists deaths spike to record in 2006"<