Big Issues addressed at Puerto Vallarta
John Modd, Director Mail, Triangle Management Services
World Mail Review May 2008
Year: 2008
Israel Post Q&A
Avi Hochman, President & CEO, Israel Post
World Mail Review May 2008
USPS MailPro Magazine – May/June 2008
USPS MailPro Magazine – May/June 2008
MailPro is a free bimonthly publication for mailing professionals. It contains information on current Postal Service programs and services, rates and classification, mailing success stories and industry news. MailPro replaced Mailers Companion and Memo to Mailers January 2007
Read MoreRoyal Mail Group’s health and wellbeing ‘blueprint’ could provide GBP 1.45 billion boost to UK’s struggling sectors
Innovative measures help the organisation cut absence by 25 pct and save GBP 227 million in three years
Health and wellbeing initiatives introduced by Royal Mail Group could hold the key to reducing the impact of absence across the UK’s worst performing sectors and deliver savings of GBP 1.45 billion a year, a study by the London School of Economics revealed today.
In its ‘ Value of Rude Health’ report – the result of a unique, year-long study – the London School of Economics also calculated that the value of Royal Mail Group’s approach to tackling absence could bring more than 94,000 people absent through illness or injury back into work more quickly.
The study revealed that Royal Mail Group’s health and wellbeing activities have:
• Slashed absence by 25 pct between 2004 and 2007
• Brought 3,600 employees absent through illness or injury back into work
• Saved more than GBP 227 million in terms of direct costs (wages and benefits)
Royal Mail Group’s success in cutting absence by a quarter has been achieved through:
• Health screening for employees and occupational support services including physio and occupational therapy
• Health clinics in more than 90 Royal Mail Group sites to help people return to work and prevent them getting ill
• Fitness centres run by trained instructors in larger sites
• Health promotion campaigns targeting smoking and back pain
• Increased support and training for managers to improve the effectiveness of absence to attendance policies
Postcomm publishes criteria for approval of redress schemes for licensed postal operators (UK)
Postcomm published its final criteria for approval of redress schemes.
Following consultation in January 2008 on approval criteria for redress schemes, Postcomm has today published its approval criteria and decision document. The document summarises the key issues raised by stakeholders in response to the consultation, suggestions from the industry working group for licensed postal operators (facilitated by Postcomm), and relevant best practice.
The key changes are:
– amendment to the scheme’s governance, monitoring and reporting criteria in relation to the governance arrangements and fee structure to ensure there is no disproportionate effect on any particular group of members;
– additional requirement for the scheme to reallocate the cost of any case to another scheme member where the fault is found to lie with it;
– amendment to the requirement for publicising the redress scheme to prevent premature referral to the scheme. The requirement now states that appropriate steps must be taken to ensure consumer awareness of the scheme;
– clarifying the complaints which the redress scheme must consider by drawing from the BERR decision document; and clarifying that the case handling will be free of charge but that a complainant may incur a cost in the form of telephone call charges etc. to contact the redress scheme (but that this should be kept to as low as reasonably practicable).
EU approves 1.1 bln euro compensation for Poste Italiane
The European Commission said it has approved the 1.1 billion euros compensation Italy granted Poste Italiane SpA between 2006 and 2008 to meet the costs of fulfilling its universal postal service obligations.
Universal service ensures citizens and businesses located in rural areas get a comparable service to their urban counterparts.
The state support is in line with EU rules on public service compensation because it does not over-compensate Poste Italiane for providing these services, and therefore does not allow for cross-subsidies for other activities, the Commission said.
Poste Italiane is the universal postal service provider in Italy.
Over the period 2006-2008 Poste Italiane received 1.1 billion euros compensation for providing this public service.
Read MoreLa Poste publish UPS results
La Poste has just published the results concerning the quality of the universal postal service for 2007 on its website.
The main findings pertain to:
– routing times for the principle postal services (First Class items, Colissimo counter services, international mail, etc.);
– accessibility to postal items at collection and pick-up outlets;
– the number of complaints filed, and the manner in which they were processed.
These indicators have been the focus of work performed jointly by La Poste and ARCEP since 2006. They are based in particular on a public consultation launched by the Authority in 2007 concerning user demands for information on the quality of the universal postal service. This consultation helped reveal that a need for new indicators was emerging: high expectations of information on registered mail items and on Colissimo counter services, and the publication of information on the transport of periodicals.
Several new universal postal service indicators were added last year:
– on the number of letter boxes and their location, based on last collection time;
– on delivery timeframes for periodicals;
– and on consumer satisfaction with the speed and efficiency with which La Poste processes complaints.
Israel Post CEO warns of collapse
Israel Post Company Ltd. CEO Avi Hochman warns that the company faces collapse unless fundamental changes were made in the competitive structure of the postal market and unless the company’s operating license was amended. He said that there was a link between the paralysis of the Ministry of Communications officials who supervise the company and the losses that he predicts.
Hochman noted that the company’s license came into effect on January 1, and that it would loss NIS 18 million (USD 5.25 million) for the first quarter. He attributes the losses to large customers which are turning to competitors that offer lower prices, while Israel Post’s rates are government controlled. Furthermore, Israel Post’s rates are public knowledge.
Read MoreMER Magazine
The Mail & Express Review (MER) Magazine is our quarterly print publication. Packed with original content and thought-provoking features, MER is a must-read for those who want the inside track on the industry.