Tag: Brazil

Brazilian postal strike ends after compromise deal

Posted by | Sep 25, 2007 | |

The postal strike in Brazil has ended after nine days following union acceptance of a compromise deal agreed through a mediation body. Postal operator Correios is now working to clear a massive backlog of letters and parcels.

Postal workers voted on September 21 to accept a deal based on a 3.74 pct pay rise, a linear increase of R$60 (EUR 22.79) next January, a one-off payment of R$ 500 (EUR 189.92) now, a further one-off payment of R$391 (EUR 148.52) and various social benefits. The deal, negotiated via the country’s supreme labour tribunal, was a slight improvement on the original offer from Correios but substantially below the demands of the postal union Fentect.

The union agreed to try to clear the backlog of mail and parcels during the week ending September 29. Correios put the backlog in Sao Paulo state, which accounts for about 42 pct of Brazil’s mail, at 19.5 million items.

Thousands of staff of the country’s postal operator Empresa Brasileira de Correios e Telégrafos (ECT) had gone on strike on September 13.

Read More

Brazil Postal Service Goes on Strike. Workers Want USD 100 Plus 47 pct Raise

Posted by | Sep 13, 2007 | |

Starting today, post office branches throughout Brazil will be closed. Gathered in meetings in several states the workers at ECT (Brazilian Postal and Telegraph Company) decided to go on strike for undetermined time until their demands for bigger salaries and better work conditions are met.

José Gonçalves Jacó, the director of ECT’s Workers National Federation believes that 100,000 of the 110,000 postal workers will join the strikers. In the southern state of Paraná, for example, about 80pct of the ECT employees have already stopped their activities, according to the president of Paraná’s Post Office Workers Union, Nilson Rodrigues dos Santos.

In the negotiations round held Wednesday, September 12, informed Jacó, the ECT offered to hike wages by 3.74 pct, while the workers are asking for a 47 pct raise plus what they call “real wage hike” of 200 reais (about USD 100). In its counterproposal the postal service offered 50 reais (about USD 25), which will not be paid before January of next year.

Workers are demanding more than better wages. They also want maternity leave for six months and hazardous work supplement. “Today, mailmen endure a bigger incidence of skin cancer as well as dog attacks, assaults and other accidents,” justified the president of the Paraná’s union.

Maybe this is not the best time for the announcement, but the Brazilian Ministry of Communications made known that it is studying the opening of the capital of the national Postal Services as an alternative for modernizing and expanding the company. The information was given by the minister of Communications, Hélio Costa.

The minister submitted yesterday to the minister of Finance, Guido Mantega, the proposal for expansion of the Postal Service, of which, according to him, president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva was already aware.

Read More

Brazilian government looks at opening capital of the Postal Service

Posted by | Sep 12, 2007 | |

The Brazilian Ministry of Communications is studying the opening of the capital of the national Postal Services as an alternative for modernizing and expanding the company, as informed today (12 september) by the minister of Communications, Hélio Costa.

The minister submitted today to the minister of Finance, Guido Mantega, the proposal for expansion of the Postal Service, of which, according to him, president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva was already aware.

According to the minister, the establishment of a large logistics company, linked to the state-owned one, would be another alternative for catering to the “huge demand” in the order delivery market. “We are forecasting an increase of over 100 pct for next year. Either the Postal Services will prepare itself, or it will end up losing this market,” he stated.

Another proposal would be the restructuring of the Postal Bank, which currently functions in partnership with privately owned bank Bradesco. According to Hélio Costa, the bank has 5,200 branches, around 5,000 accounts are opened per day, and 10 billion Brazilian reais (USD 5.1 billion) are deposited.

Read More

Brazilian postal service may order Embraer C-390 freighters

Posted by | Sep 4, 2007 | |

The Brazilian postal service has emerged as a potential launch customer for Embraer’s proposed C-390 tactical transport aircraft.

Hélio Costa, Brazil’s minister of communications says the Empresa de Correios e Telégrafos (ECT) may launch its own cargo carrier next year to meet its domestic transport requirements.

The airline would initially operate a fleet of five aircraft, which could grow to between 20 and 25 by early next decade. The ECT is yet to select an aircraft type, but chief executive Carlos Henrique Almeida Custódio says that Embraer’s C-390 tactical transport aircraft is under consideration due to its favourable payload compared with other freighters in its class.

Custódio adds that the ECT has held preliminary talks with the Brazilian manufacturer. Meanwhile communications minister Costa says that Brazil’s communications and defence ministries may push for development of the C-390 to be accelerated.

The ECT believes an in-house cargo carrier could generate annual revenues of around USD 255 million by tapping into the growing e-commerce market. During the first half of 2007 e-commerce-related shipments generated USD 1.35 billion in sales for the ECT, up 49 USD compared with the same period last year.

The ECT’s airline studies are steering it towards a joint venture with a private company, although the postal service would retain a controlling stake in the new company. It would make a final decision on aircraft selection with its joint-venture partner.
The ECT spends about USD 230 million annually on air transport services provided by carriers such as Beta, Skymaster and VarigLog, and has struggled to renew these annual contracts at what it considers to be reasonable prices.

Custódio says that the ECT “cannot be [held] hostage to operators”, which led to the country’s public accounting bureau ordering the postal service to find other solutions for its air transport needs.

Read More

E-commerce grows 50 pct per year in Brazil

Posted by | Aug 28, 2007 | |

At a growth rate of 50 pct a year, electronic commerce is emerging as a new business alternative for micro- and small businesses. According to the consultant at the Brazilian Chamber of Electronic Commerce, Edílson Flausino, business via internet already account for 17 pct of sales by companies that use the system professionally.

Lemuel Costa e Silva, Electronic Commerce manager at the Department of Postal Service Business and Operations on the Internet, said that approximately eight million people throughout the Brazilian territory buy products at virtual stores.

Lemuel cited store chain Lojas Americanas as an example of successful electronic commerce in the country, as he explained that ‘americanas.com’ is responsible for up to 40pct of the company’s business. The manager presented the postal service’s Correios NetShopping as one of the options for entrepreneurs to sell via the internet: “we can host stores and create links to companies in our Website.”

Fabíola Cordeiro, product manager at e-bit Informação, a company that provides information on electronic commerce, was established in 1999, and pioneered the conduction of surveys on e-commerce habits and trends in Brazil, states that around 1,000 virtual stores in the country are currently listed on e-bit: “the figure tends to grow from 41 pct to 76 pct each year.”

Read More

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

P&P Poll

Loading

What's the future of the postal USO?

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