Postal Digest – news from USPS, La Poste, An Post and PostNord
More news from across the global postal market, including news of a USPS retirement incentive, La Post disability programme, An Post service standards and a PostNord acquisition…
USPS offers retirement incentives to mail handlers
The US Postal Service is offering voluntary early retirement incentives of up to $15,000 to mail handling staff, as it seeks to consolidate its network of mail processing plants.
USPS reached agreement with the National Postal Mail Handlers Union last week for members over the age of 50, who now have until 2nd July to decide on taking the offer set to be paid in two installments in December 2012 and 2013.
The incentive offer, which is also open to part-time employees on a pro-rated basis, comes as the Postal Service prepares to close 44 mail plants this August, followed by 92 more plants in January and February of 2013.
La Poste signs disability deal with unions
La Poste Group has signed an agreement with its four unions for a EUR 56m programme for the employment of staff with disabilities.
The fifth such agreement, signed with the CFDT, CFTC, CGC/FO and UNSA unions, has also receive approval from regional management companies and regulators, with La Poste stating it would strengthen commitment to recruitment, training, accessibility and job retention.
Over the next two years, at least 480 people with disabilities are to be recruited and working conditions for existing staff with disabilities improved. La Poste said the programme was part of its efforts to promote diversity and equal opportunities.
An Post quality results stable, but below target
An Post achieved the same on-time performance for next day delivery of priority mail in the first quarter of this year as it did in the first three months of 2011.
The latest performance figures from regulator ComReg showed that 85% of single-piece priority mail was delivered next-day, a higher quarterly figure than has been achieved since the same quarter last year. An Post delivered 98% of such mail within three working days according to research from Ipsos MRCI.
ComReg launched legal proceedings against An Post back in February for failing to meet its performance targets, set at 94% next day and 99.5% within three working days.
PostNord completes takeover of Swedish periodical firm
Nordic postal operator PostNord has finalised its acquisition of newspaper distribution company Svensk Morgondistribution, it said today.
The deal will increase the operational territory for PostNord’s Tidningstjänst AB periodical delivery subsidiary, and also comes with an agreement to continue providing deliveries for the acquired unit’s former owners, regional newspaper publishers Mittmedia and Västerbottens-Kuriren, for “several years”. The acquisition should allow PostNord to use its mail delivery vehicles during night hours for morning newspapers, since mail is delivered in the day time.
Leif Persson, the chief executive of Tidningstjänst, said: “We welcome the employees to PostNord and look forward to distributing the morning newspapers of Mittmedia and Västerbottens-Kuriren. The operations of Tidningstjänst are characterised by high quality and a cost-efficient distribution and it is exciting that the operations now are growing.”
