The week that was: 4 December 2009
The holiday season is fast approaching and soon 2009 will draw to a close, but before you delve into the attic to dig out the same dusty box of Christmas decorations you have owned since 1984, sit back, relax and enjoy Post&Parcel’s latest weekly round-up. There has been trouble brewing in the Netherlands this week, as TNT has urged workers’ unions to reconsider proposals for a labour deal. The unions have so far rejected TNT’s proposals that include a 3.5% pay cut, and put forward their own terms, including a 1.5% pay rise, as negotiations to avoid job cuts and strike action drag on. In a public statement released on the TNT website, the Dutch company said: “TNT is surprised and disappointed at the trade unions’ stance on the company’s collective labour agreement and social plan, as announced by the unions today. TNT sees no common ground whatsoever between the unions’ stance and the seriousness of the issues faced by TNT Post. Since 2007, the necessary cost savings have been extensively discussed with the unions. A recent study by research agency Ecorys, commissioned by the unions, reconfirmed that far-reaching cost measures are necessary to maintain the viability of the company.”
And now on to pastures green. The magic number is 0.07. No, it has nothing to do with James Bond, which is a shame as I was ready with a Casino Royale Mail pun. The figure is the percentage of the world’s CO2 emissions contributed by the postal industry. The statistics were revealed in a new report, published by the Universal Postal Union (UPU). According to its first worldwide survey, the UPU estimates that Posts in its 191 member countries generated at least 26m tonnes of CO2 in 2008 through the operation of postal vehicles and buildings. These Posts, employing more than 5m people, operate a global network of more than 600,000 post offices and almost one million postal vehicles. They represent the planet’s largest physical distribution network, say the Union.
When an organisation has a difficult year it’s always important to produce a bit of positive marketing to pull everybody out of the doldrums. This has been the case the US this week, as USPS announces that they are ready for the massive holiday rush. Between now and Christmas, USPS will deliver 16.6bn cards, letters and packages across the country and around the world – a task that requires more than 190,000 vehicles, including 142,000 half-ton trucks. “The holiday season isn’t just the busiest time of the year for the Postal Service – it’s our best time of year,” said John E. Potter, postmaster general and chief executive officer. And who are we to disagree?
And finally…
Fifteen of the world’s top postal CEOs will join Obama and co. in Copenhagen as the climate change conference kicks-off in Denmark. Post&Parcel will be hoping that the executives share taxis to and from the airport. Every little counts!
