German Deutsche Post chairman criticises French La Poste

The chairman of German postal services operator Deutsche Post, Klaus Zumwinkel has said that French postal service La Poste will have reason to worry when his group enters the French market in view of the EU’s liberalisation of the postal sector, to be completed in 2009.

Mr Zumwinkel criticised La Poste’s mediocre quality of service and poor industrial relations, but said that his French competitor’s chairman, Jean-Paul Bailly, was doing everything that he should to modernise La Poste. For the moment, Deutsche Post is focusing its attention of Denmark’s postal service, which is due to be opened to private shareholders soon. The German government is reportedly planning to sell the 20 per cent stake that it still holds in its former national postal service.