Shipping costs still soaring
UPS and FedEx have announced rate increases averaging 3.5% for air and ground shipments. Furthermore, The U.S. Postal Service increased rates for international periodicals last month 3% to 5%.
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Can Royal Mail afford to strike?
Last week’s postal union ballot in favour of national strike action threatens to deal a body-blow to many in the direct marketing industry – not least of which will be the embattled Consignia, currently losing up to #1.5m a day.
Yet perhaps the most severely affected will be the financial services community, for whom the months of February and March are the most crucial.
Strike threat to post monopoly
PATRICIA HEWITT, the Trade Secretary, signalled yesterday that she would allow the Royal Mail’s monopoly to be lifted in the event of a postal strike due early next month.
At Question Time Ms Hewitt urged the management of Consignia, the Royal Mail’s parent company, and the Communication Workers Union to reach a mediated settlement over their pay dispute.
Stamp out Consignia name, says Postal Union
The main postal workers’ union tonight called for a boycott of the name Consignia as part of a campaign to “reclaim our Post Office.”
The Communication Workers Union said the name had been foisted on the public by “corporate spin doctors” and should be dropped.
The union campaign followed comments by Consignia chairman Allan Leighton, who said he wanted to change the name, which was mentioned every time he talked to people.
EUROPE VIEW: POSTAL PARITY IN BRITAIN
Britain is about to administer a much needed post-Sept. 11 pickup tonic to the global express and parcel delivery market by opening its postal market to full competition for the first time. And that means plenty of new business opportunities for private firms, from U.S. giants like United Parcel Service and FedEx, to aggressive European postal groups like TPG of the Netherlands and Deutsche Post World Net of Germany. Comment from the Journal of Commerce.
Read MoreNew Zealand Post deal makes Maltese cross
A political brouhaha lashed Malta following last week’s disclosure New Zealand Post was taking over the tiny Mediterranean island’s postal service.
It was announced last week that NZ Post subsidiary Transend had bought 35% of Maltapost in a $6.5 million deal which also involved a two-year management services contract for Maltapost.
The deal has Maltese Liberal government and opposition MPs at each other’s throats and comes hard on the heels of a disgraced NZ Post’s dramatic eviction from South Africa last year.
Name change posted
The chairman of Consignia last night admitted he would like to change the name. Allan Leighton said in an interview: “Would I like to change the name? Yes I would. Because of the bad publicity, a lot of people know the name of Consignia. But it is almost like there is this other company called Consignia which is going around attracting derision.
Read MorePostal service shake-up plan goes 'too far'
Radical proposals from Postcomm to shake up postal services with more competition go “too far”, ministers believe, and risk crippling Consignia’s own attempts to modernise. Although they intend to stay out of the row between the company and the independent regulator, ministers say the recommendation to open up the market for bulk business mail within six weeks is “excessive”.
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