The week that was: 12 August, 2011
Rounding up this week’s top mail and express stories from around the world with news on USPS workforce reductions, China’s modernisation plans and civil unrest at Russian Post…
ASIA
This week, we start out in Asia, where China has unveiled a new five-year modernisation plan for its mail and express industry, which aims to develop the sector in response to global economic and social trends.
Elsewhere, the first ever female Postmaster General in the Philippines got down to business, and Vietnam’s Prime Minister confirmed the status of Vietnam Post under his new government.
AFRICA
South African Post has joined the environmental monitoring program at the International Post Corporation – the first postal operator from outside the IPC membership to do so. It means SAPO will be looking to cut its carbon emissions by 20% by 2020.
And, TNT Express has been flying in food aid for the United Nations World Food Programme to help children in the famine-affected areas of Somalia.
EUROPE
After London erupted into civil unrest this week, UK mail and express operators reported small service delays in the affected areas, but for the most part deliveries were being made as normal.
There was a little civil unrest in Russia as Russian Post had a blazing row with federal antitrust regulators, who want to bring in competition into the postal market. The Post warned that private rivals would cherry pick the best routes, leaving 37m residents of remote areas in Russia to fend for themselves.
PostNL – the former postal division of TNT – reported that it was “well on track” after recording a profit in the second quarter. Czech Post said it made a small profit in Q2, thanks to parcels segment counterbalancing declines in letter mail volumes.
And, we reported on the move by UK postal regulator Postcomm to take bulk mail out of Royal Mail’s protected universal service before its regulatory powers are transferred to communications regulator Ofcom.
AMERICAS
The struggling US Postal Service is now exploring a major new plan to shed as many as 220,000 workers – but will need Congress to help it break layoff protections within its existing union labour deals. The stronger approach to workforce reductions followed a warning from key Republicans in Congress that they were looking for “serious” cost reductions from USPS than had been previously announced.
Brazil’s Post, ECT, hired the first of an expected 9,200 new staff, to fill massive staff shortages that resulted from the break-down of the Corporation’s recruitment system last year.
Transactional mailers in the US are getting interested in the move to digital mail much more quickly than expected – but American consumers are still much more comfortable with physical bills and statements.
And, FedEx raised its freight rates in North America, following closely after a similar move by rival UPS.
And finally…
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