Author: Archive

UK Mail union gears to oppose sell-off

Posted by | Jun 13, 2005 | |

The largest union for Royal Mail workers yesterday began its annual conference with a promise to fight attempts to privatise the national postal operator and threatened to break links with Labour if the government sold any of its stake.
The Communication Workers Union, which represents 160,000 of Royal Mail’s 200,000 staff, is concerned about plans for a John Lewis-style partial privatisation of Royal Mail, which is being touted by the operator’s management.
It supported Labour in the general election after winning a manifesto commitment to keep Royal Mail “publicly owned”, but now fears it has been betrayed by senior ministers. Billy Hayes, CWU general secretary, said: “We will fight any attempt to sell off or screw up Royal Mail. The CWU values our link to the Labour party . . . but I have no illusions about how that link will crumble if the government breaks its promise.”

Read More

German Deutsche Post threatens higher postage prices

Posted by | Jun 13, 2005 | |

Deutsche Post, the German national postal services provider, has said that taking away its VAT privilege on letters will lead to higher postage prices. Alois Rhiel and Walter Hirche, the financial ministers for the federal states of Hessen and Lower Saxony, have announced that they would like to see the sales tax exemption of Deutsche Post cancelled as quickly as possible. Deutsche Post is set to lose its monopoly in 2007.

The postal service provider has responded by saying this would mean higher prices for customers, particularly private customers, who are not eligible to claim sales tax back. Mr Rhiel said that there was no reason why Deutsche Post should be awarded privileges over its tax-paying rivals. He also doubted that Deutsche Post could raise postage prices in the long term as that would send more customers to the new postal companies. The finance ministry in Hessen believes the sales tax exemption gives Deutsche Post an advantage of between 300m euros and 400m euros per year.

Read More

Poczta Polska may sue supreme board of inspection

Posted by | Jun 13, 2005 | |

Poczta Polska (PP), the national postal service, has filed a complaint with the Sejm speaker concerning the contents of the Supreme Board of Inspection (NIK) report on PP’s capital group activities. PP Deputy Director General Mieczyslaw Chabowski says that in many instances the NIK formed its allegations based on false information. One of the most important allegations against the PP was that it participated in the companies belonging to the capital group in a way that undermines cost rationalisation and economic effectiveness. It was supposed to result in losses of ZL55.7m during the period under inspection. PP says that the ZL53m spent during the period in question was spent on setting up an insurance company, and increasing Bank Pocztowy’s capital. Furthermore, despite ZL1.4m losses in 2002, the group recorded ZL8.8m profits in 2003 and ZL39.8m in 2004. PP’s lawyers are evaluating the evidence.

Read More

The USPS engages Servigistics to transform service parts operations

Posted by | Jun 13, 2005 | |

Award-Winning Service Parts Management Solution Selected to Reduce Inventory, Maintain High Service Levels and Achieve Service Network Visibility for Nation’s Postal Service

Servigistics, the leading provider of service parts management solutions, announced today that The United States Postal Service (“USPS”) will implement the Servigistics solution to manage its nationwide service parts network, as part of the company’s new Enhanced Spare Parts Initiative (“eSPIN Initiative”).

With more than USD350 million in service parts inventory supporting approximately 500 field stocking locations around the country, the USPS is replacing its first-generation service parts planning software with the Servigisitcs Service Parts Management Solution to maintain its high rate of mail processing equipment uptime, critical for the movement of postal mail product, while reducing excess inventory, increasing inventory turns, lowering costs and improving visibility across its service parts network.

Read More

Compensation to be paid for lost or delayed mail in Malta

Posted by | Jun 13, 2005 | |

Maltapost has pledged to speed up the delivery of letters and compensate senders for lost or delayed mail in a series of improvements to its service that could go a long way to resolving the public’s complaints. The revisions the company will undertake are contained in a document on Quality of Service Requirements published by the Malta Communications Authority as required by the Postal Services Act. The document pledges to set right most of the concerns aired in a customer perceptions survey carried out last November, which had indicated general dissatisfaction with the time taken to deliver mail and with Maltapost’s overall performance. A compensation scheme for local ordinary mail will come into force in October.

Read More

German Bank Sells USD2.41B Shares of Post

Posted by | Jun 13, 2005 | |

A German state-owned bank said Monday it sold over 2 billion euros (USD2.41 billion) in Deutsche Post AG stock, cutting the government stake in Europe’s biggest mail service to under 50 percent.

KfW Bank AG sold 110 million shares for 18.90 euros (USD22.89) each to institutional investors, raising a total of 2.079 billion euros (USD2.518 billion), it said in a statement late Monday.

Shares in Deutsche Post had closed down 1.4 percent at 19.12 euros (USD23.16) in Frankfurt.

KfW said the sale cut its holding in Deutsche Post from 48.8 percent to 38.9 percent, and that the proportion of the shares freely traded will rise from 44 percent to 55.3 percent, ending the government’s majority holding. The government still holds a stake of about 7 percent.

Read More

Emirates Post to buy 60% stake in Wall Street Exchange

Posted by | Jun 12, 2005 | |

Emirates Post Corporation, the country’s official postal services provider, has decided to buy a 60 per cent stake in Wall Street Exchange Centre’s operations in the UAE, Hong Kong and Britain. Wall Street, which has nearly 10 branches in the UAE has another 10 in Hong Kong and London together. Gulf News was not able to reach officials of both EPC as well as Wallstreet for confirmation. Sources said a memorandum of understanding (MoU) has already been signed between the two for the deal, the value of which would be above USD10 million (Dh36. 7 million). The deal will be concluded soon, according to sources.

Read More

Bruneu Postal Services revamps its system

Posted by | Jun 12, 2005 | |

A 6.4 million dollar contract was sealed yesterday between the Postal Services Department and Alif Technologies Sdn Bhd on the ‘Automation and Computerised System Counter’ for postal services across the nation.

All 22 of the nation’s post offices will be installed with this new automation counter system, including the postal counter at the Ministry of Communications. “The contract signing would further enhance Brunei’s postal services following its implementation,” said Acting Post Master General Awg Hj Azahari bin Mohd Ali who was speaking during the signing ceremony at the Mail Process Centre in Berakas yesterday.

With the implementation of the system, which underwent two years of evaluation, it would give a boost towards personnel’s spirit and work performances, he added.

Read More

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

P&P Poll

Loading

Have you noticed a decrease of non-EU inbound parcel volumes since the implementation of the new €3 charge?

Thank you for voting
You have already voted on this poll!
Please select an option!


View ResultsHide Results

Post & Parcel Magazine


Post & Parcel Magazine is our print publication, released 3 times a year. Packed with original content and thought-provoking features, Post & Parcel Magazine is a must-read for those who want the inside track on the industry.

Subscribe to the Magazine

 

Pin It on Pinterest