Rotorua posties are refusing to collect information about people who don't want junk mail.
Like junk mail hater Peter Wilson, they are concerned that New Zealand Post could be collecting information to sell to its commercial partners.
Postal workers nationwide have been asked to record the addresses
of NZ Post customers who display "no junk mail" on their letterboxes to pass on to its subsidiary circular distribution company The Letterbox Channel. Posties suspect those customers will instead start receiving junk mail via addressed envelopes.
Mr Wilson backs Rotorua posties who, it is understood are the only ones in the country refusing their employer's directive.
"I would have a problem with my details being used for commercial purposes - we already have considerable issues with invasion of privacy in New Zealand," Mr Wilson told the Daily Post.
"Junk mail is big business, I thought posties just delivered the mail."
A statement released by Rotorua Postal Workers Association delegate Wendy Cox said was "a real risk that the information being collected will be supplied to producers of circulars and junk mail, so that they will be enabled to address by post to these targeted NZ Post customers the very mail that the customers are trying to avoid".
The Rotorua branch of the PWA has advised its members not to collect information from letterboxes marked "no junk mail" or "no circulars".
"Even if the data collected is not being used for commercial means the privacy laws are still being broken by not obtaining the information directly from the customers. Posties don't want to be used like this, it's just not right," she said.
"Any disciplinary action taken against a delivery worker who refuses to carry out these unlawful acts will be vigorously defended by the union."
Rowena O'Neil, Delivery Business Leader for NZ Post said the information was being used solely for the purpose of minimising material waste and unproductive rework for printers.
"It's also about sustainability of our business and our environment," she said.
"We have asked posties to validate and update the 'no circulars please' data information that we already have in our system.
"What we are asking our posties to do is totally lawful.
"We are not breaching the privacy regulations and as such the concerns of the PWA in Rotorua are invalid."
Posties stand up to NZ Post
Rotorua posties are refusing to collect information about people who don't want junk mail.
Like junk mail hater Peter Wilson, they are concerned that New Zealand Post could be collecting information to sell to its commercial partners.
Postal workers nationwide have been asked to record the addresses
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