Chapter 4 Modification and Development of Post in Reform

The 3rd Session of 11th Plenary Meeting of CPC held in Dec. 1978, made the strategic decision of transferring the focus of CPC's work to socialistic modernization construction and put forward a series of important policies of activating economy, opening to the outside world and reforming economical management system. It was the opportunity as well as challenge to post industry. Post departments conscientiously carried out the lines, principles and policies of the Central Government, brought order out of chaos, modified management system, increased investment and accelerated development. Under the support of government policy of "maintaining post by post", post industry extricated itself from serious difficulties and appeared a new situation of continuous development in late 1980s.

Section 1 Modification and Reorganization of Post

A. Modification of management system

During 1958 and "The Cultural Revolution", post management system was transferred to lower level twice, which violated the character of communication production of whole network and centralization and caused great chaos. The lesson was incisive. After 1973 when MPT was resumed, it carried out the management system with MPT as the main responsible department. Meanwhile, post administration bureaus in each province, region and city were under the leadership of the Revolutionary Committee. Post offices in prefectures and counties were under the leadership of post administration bureau and the Revolution Committee. Post work was managed by dual leadership of the central government and local government. This management system caused confusion of responsibilities and inconsistency of command, which affected the development and construction of communication network.

After 3rd Session of 11th Plenary Meeting of CPC, by thorough investigation and repeated demonstration, on the basis of long-term experience, it was thought that post management system should be modified to realize the centralized and unified management.

On April 20, 1979, MPT sent "Report about Modification of Post management System" to the State Council. On June 28, the State Council replied to the report and stressed that post communication was the central nerve system and was the forerunner of national economy, which featured with joint operation of the whole network. To be beneficial to the unified plan and construction of national communication network, and the unified control and management, it was necessary to modify the existence post management system, and adopt the method of dual lead of MPT and Provincial government, with MPT as the main leader.

The main contents of the modification on post management system were as follows:

1.MPT carried out unified management on national post. Post Administration Bureaus in provinces, cities and autonomous regions were under dual leadership of MPT and provincial, municipal and regional government Post offices in prefectures and counties were under the dual leadership of provincial, municipal or regional post administration bureaus, prefecture and county governments. Postal agencies were under direct leadership of county or town post office.

2.Local Party Committee was responsible for the party work of post department. political work was mainly under the leadership of local government, and cadre management was mainly under the leadership of MPT.

3.MPT carried out unified administration on post business of national communication network, development plan, communication control and management, business Principle, policies and regulations, technical policies, technical systems, technical standards, charge standards, print and issue of postage voucher and international communication. Forceful communication control system was established from above to below to enforce the unified control on national post communication.

4.Post business, basic construction, salary, finance, industry production, material provision, scientific development, enrollment plan of colleges and universities, and capitals were all uniformly administered by MPT.

Modification of post administration system was an important matter that related to the unification of the Programming and construction of national communication network and the unification of control on communication, which undertook smoothly and basically completed by the end of 1979 under the support of central government and local department. From 1980, new management system was carried out in national post system. It was proved by practice that this important reform successfully ensured the centralized and unified control of the whole post system. It also served local areas in light of the realities and gave full play to the enthusiasm of central government, local government and enterprises. It ensured key national communication constructions, beneficial to the unified plan, arrangement, control and management of national communication network. It maintained unification and continuity of policies, which enforced the management of communication industry.

B. Bring order out of chaos and transfer focal point of post

During the two years after "the Cultural Revolution", post departments of all levels redressed a great deal of grievance, false and mishandled cases, which brought post worker's enthusiasm into play, forming gratifying situation of stability and city. Many enterprises modified and strengthened the leading bodies, enforced management and achieved many achievements in changing communication appearance. But, by then post departments had been seriously fettered by the planned economy system. The effect of concerning about only politics not economy wasn't fully cleared. Post departments dared not be particular about operation and profit-making and dared not develop business. Meanwhile post departments were lack of vitality. Construction of basic facilities had been at a standstill for a long time' houses were old, facilities were out-of-date, and functions were weak. Therefore, it was the most important task for China Post to clarify rights and wrongs, to liberate ideas, to change ideology and to accelerate construction and development.

To meet the requirements of new situations, from March 30 to April 23, 1979, 17th National Post Conference was held in Beijing. It conscientiously carried out the basic lines, Principles and policy of 3rd Session of 11th Plenary Meeting of CPC. It upheld that practice was the sole criterion of truth, brought order out of chaos, summed up experiences and lessons, decided to transfer the major points of post development to focusing on communication and realizing communication modernization, and to better serve the socialistic modernization construction. The important achievements of this conference were that it put forward the view that "post communication is social productive force" and systematically set forth features, tasks, positions and policies of post communication. Some problems messed up in the "ten-year turmoil" were cleared up.

To realize the smooth transformation, MPT required that all departments should base on existence basis to lap the latent power, innovate, modify and replenish, to rapidly increase production site, to enforce post transportation ability, to increase service network, to conscientiously solve the problem of shortage of delivery manpower in urban and rural areas, to widen market, develop business, increase income and raise economic efficiency of enterprises.

This conference brought order out of chaos in guidelines and played a positive role to post development.

C. 3-year modification and thorough reorganization of enterprises

In March 1929, in the 17th National Post Conference, based on the policy of "modification, reform, reorganization and improvement" put forward in the Central Conference, MPT determined the objective of 3-year modification of post departments. In July 1980, 18th National Post Conference was held. During the conference, 8 vice primers heard the report of MPT, made important instructions about post and pointed out that post communication was the foundation and forerunner. By then post communication was backward and the weakest link in national economy, which affected the development of national economy. The urgent task of post departments was to change the backward situation rapidly to suit the requirements of the four modernizations as fast as possible.

The above spirit, further improved the knowledge of post cadres about the features, tasks and functions of post, broadened their thinking, heightened their confidence, and forcefully promoted the modification and reorganization of post enterprises. All post departments started from existence basis to tap the latent power, innovate, modify and construct, to enforce the weak links in communication, improve post communication ability. After 3-year modification, some effect was gained, among which production building increased by 130,000 m², up 30% over the plan, living building for staff and workers increased 1,729,000 m², up 72.9% over the plan, and transportation ability of main lines improved a lot.

Wan Li inspected Post

Leaders of the State Council pointed out that, as post was backward, the urgent matters were to reorganize existence enterprises and their leadership groups, rectify staff workers and offices, consolidate business, and strengthen regulations and disciplines. Post departments undertook large amount of work in enterprise modification, basing on their own features. Firstly, they modified and reorganized enterprises' leading groups, dismissed political disqualified cadres, selected outstanding middle-aged and young cadres and reappointed veteran cadres who had been subjected to persecution in "the Cultural Revolution". Secondly, they enforced enterprise's basic work, set up and improved regulations with the system of post responsibility as the center, made clear -the economic and responsibility level by level, linked enterprise with the economic and benefits of staff and workers as well as their economic responsibilities, and initially changed the situation of "equalitarianism". Thirdly, actively promoted comprehensive qualify management, combined advanced management methods of foreign countries with our own experiences, gradually formed a series of scientific management methods of ourselves, popularize comprehensive qualify management level by level from large to small enterprises and obtained good effect. Fourthly, they modified and improved democratic management system of enterprises, established director responsibility system under the leadership of the Party Committee and worker congress system, enforced worker's master consciousness, brought their working zeal into play, intimated relations between cadres and masses, improved cadre's working style, promoted enterprise's development. Fifthly, enforced basic construction and reorganized post branches of all areas.

After 3-year modification, most Post enterprises reached the standard issued by the National Economy Committee, brought order out of chaos in ideology, organization and regulation, cleared the severe effect of "the Cultural Revolution", and gradually resumed normal production order and working order in the enterprises.

At the beginning of 1982, CCCPC (Central Committee of Communist Party of China) and the State Council made the decision of "comprehensively modifying state-run industrial enterprises". Modification of post enterprises entered the new stage of constructive modification. Its main task was to solve the problem of service quality and low economic benefit of post communication. Post departments of all areas undertook full modification and comprehensive administration. On the basis of the real situation of each department and area, by the end of 1985, there were over 2,000 post enterprises that had passed the modification check according to the standard.