The week that was: 30 September 2011
Glimmer of hope for USPS, Brazil’s postal strike heads for the courts, Postcomm hands over its reigns to Ofcom, and Swiss Post offers a useful and free direct mail tool… Rounding up this week’s biggest stories, and this week we have seen a glimmer of progress within the protracted battle to save the US Postal Service, a stalemate in negotiations between striking unions in Brazil and the country’s Post Office, and the end of Postcomm’s tenure regulating the UK postal industry.
Senate approves “breathing room” for US Postal Service
This week, a continuing resolution was passed by the US Senate to keep the federal government operating a little longer – a measure that included language giving the US Postal Service a little more time to pay its bills.
USPS has been given until November 18 to pay its $5.5bn contribution for future retiree health benefits, and hopes are that will be enough time for Congress to agree comprehensive postal reforms. The continuing resolution is expected to be passed by the House of Representatives next week.
While the Postal Service is expected to record a $10bn loss this fiscal year, which ends this month, both sides of Congress have at last agreed that they will accept a final judgement from the Government Accountability Office over whether a $75bn pension surplus should be handed back.
Brazil’s postal strike prompts visit to the labour court
Brazil’s Post and Telegraph Company (ECT) decided enough was enough with its striking postal workers this week.
After an attempt at restarting negotiations with national postal union Fentect, a compromise still failed to come over a new collective bargaining agreement, with the key sticking point no longer necessarily about wage increases, but whether striking workers will have their vacation entitlement docked to take account of strike days.
ECT has now announced it is taking the matter to Brazil’s top labour tribunal, the Supreme Labour Court.
UK regulatory powers for postal sector passes over to Ofcom
From tomorrow (October 1), the responsibility to regulate the UK postal industry is conferred from Postcomm to the communications industry regulator, Ofcom.
This week saw various loose ends tied up with respect to the handover, with a few changes made to Royal Mail’s terms and conditions, and approval for a trial project in which undelivered packages can be left with the neighbours.
Royal Mail competitor TNT Post UK issued a study of four liberalised markets in Europe that it said suggested that Ofcom ought to level the playing field in the UK by removing Royal Mail’s exemption from VAT on business mail services. While it says the “uncompetitive” situation is keeping it out of end-to-end delivery services in the UK, TNT Post did launch a new parcel service this week in the UK, targeted at e-commerce shippers.
And finally…
Swiss Post launched a useful tool for anyone mailing the major countries in Europe next year – a guide to holidays and vacation days in 20 different countries that could prove useful to planning international mailing campaigns. It’s available free for download or to order as a physical wallplanner…
