Tag: Courier/Express/Parcels

Union rejects Royal Mail reform (UK)

Posted by | Mar 3, 2008 | |

Unions are holding a consultative ballot after the closure of the company’s own consultation.

They say a strike ballot could follow if the Royal Mail does not improve the pension benefits on offer.

The firm plans to reduce the final salary scheme for new and current members and raise the retirement age.

“Overall the proposal will cost people over 34% in their pensions, one way or another,” said Paul Reuter, an official of the postal managers union Unite.

“If there is no improvement then we shall move to a strike ballot,” he said.

The main features of the company’s plan to cut its long-term pension costs are:

– a career average scheme to replace the current final salary version from 1 April 2008 for existing staff
– the standard retirement age to rise from 60 to 65 in 2010, though only for service after that date
– new recruits to be offered a separate “money purchase” scheme
– staff will continue to contribute 6 pct of salaries a year.

Under a career average scheme, a member’s eventual pension will be related to their salary in each year of their career, rather than to their salary in their final year of employment, thus guaranteeing that most staff will get a smaller pension.

Last autumn postal staff voted to end a series of strikes over their employer’s plans to bring in new working methods as well as the changes to the pension scheme.

However, those proposals required further legal consultation with the staff, which saw 165,000 employees being sent a 44-page booklet outlining the impact of the changes.

At the time the Royal Mail claimed it had “the union’s support for the company’s overall proposed pension reform,” although the unions said at the time that their position had been misrepresented.

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PIN Group announces first unit closures

Posted by | Mar 3, 2008 | |

Insolvent German mail operator PIN Group announced the closure of a first unit in Germany and its subsidiary PIN West Mail, effective from March 1, 2008.

As much as 582 jobs are to be cut in two German cities, while the company has already cut some 680 jobs in different cities in Germany, said Bruno Kübler, financial administrator of the PIN Group holding company.

According to a report in the Financial Times Deutschland, PIN Group’s CEO is leading intense talks with investors over the sale of the whole group and the spokesman said there was still hope for a successful deal. A few days ago Kübler declared that the closure and insolvency of several PIN Group units did not rule out the possibility of a sale of the entire company later. The units could then be integrated and the laid-off employees could get their jobs back.

PIN Group employs around 9,000 at 91 sites across Germany. For the insolvency it has filed 37 of its units with a staff of 7,000. The insolvency payments at a dozen of the mentioned units will stop from the end of February 2008.

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DHL Japan fuel cell car on display at FC Expo 2008

Posted by | Mar 3, 2008 | |

DHL and pilot user of the Daimler AG (DAG) vehicle was proud to contribute to the display of this environmentally-friendly vehicle by Mercedes-Benz Japan Co., Ltd. (MBJ) at the 4th Int’l Hydrogen & Fuel Cell Expo (FC EXPO 2008), which took place at Tokyo Big Sight from 27 – 29 February 2008. DHL has been using the model since July 2006 as part of its Green Logistics environmental initiative in Japan.

As part of DHL’s global green logistics initiative – launched in Japan in July 2006 – DHL Japan introduced the F-cell to its vehicle fleet. The F-cell, the world’s first mass-produced fuel-cell car, is modeled on the Mercedes-Benz A Class and is powered by compressed hydrogen. DHL has been testing the vehicle under actual working conditions by using it for the collection and delivery of documents in downtown Tokyo, especially in the bustling Otemachi district.

Data from the tests are collected by MBJ for use in systematic improvement and development of fuel-cell vehicles by DAG, the manufacturer. MBJ’s efforts are in accordance with the Japan Hydrogen & Fuel Cell Demonstration Project, which aims to verify and evaluate a variety of effects regarding the use of fuel-cell vehicles and hydrogen energy through actual use in business operations.

In Japan, DHL uses hybrid trucks and bicycles, as well as the F-cell vehicle, to help reduce its emissions of greenhouse gases.
DHL is steadily expanding its use of alternative fuels and promoting environmentally efficient transport methods in its ground, sea and air operations around the world.

The contract logistics arm of DHL – DHL Exel Supply Chain aims to reduce its CO2 emissions by facilitating partnerships between shippers and logistics suppliers under the Green Logistics Partnership Project.

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Labour union Ver.di against possible sale of Deutsche Postbank

Posted by | Mar 2, 2008 | |

Members of the Ver.di labour union are preparing to voice their opposition to a possible sale of Deutsche Postbank AG at the supervisory board meeting of its parent company Deutsche Post AG on Monday.

‘A healthy company, like Postbank which makes one bln eur pre-tax profit, can exist by itself and should exist by itself,’ Gerd Tausendfreund, Ver.di member on Postbank’s supervisory board told Euro am Sonntag.

The union said it expects if the bank were sold or merged with another bank there would be likely job cuts. Above all, the IT department at Germany’s largest bank would probably be hardest hit, the newspaper said.

Tausendfreund said the entire part of the supervisory board which represents workers is against a sale.

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DHL Lebanon achieves record result in security audit

Posted by | Mar 1, 2008 | |

DHL Express, Lebanon achieved the prestigious TAPA security certification.

TAPA, the Transported Asset Protection Association is a professional association of high-tech industries, freight forwarders, integrators and consultants promoting higher security standards in the international shipping and air cargo industry. Certification is awarded only after a rigorous and detailed evaluation of freight security systems and procedures by independent auditors.

In achieving this accolade with a score of 99.42 pct, the highest in the region, DHL breaks its own previous TAPA certification of 98.86 pct previously held in the UAE, the highest among DHL facilities in Eastern Europe, Middle East & Africa (EEMEA).

“It is heartening to see the regional facilities of DHL continuing to set new benchmarks for the industry. DHL Express recognise that providing customers with a secure supply chain is critical to business effectiveness as well as our reputation as the world’s leading express and logistics solutions provider. The TAPA certification endorses our stringent security standards and adds improved value to the services we provide locally and globally,” said John Chedid, Country Manager, DHL Lebanon.

DHL now has 16 TAPA certified facilities in the region. The company has been investing substantially in human resources, state-of-the-art technology and infrastructure to secure the supply chain to the complete satisfaction of customers. The global security policies followed by Deutsche Post World Net (DPWN), the parent company of DHL, including security training for staff and state of the art security measures at all facilities, have assisted in the regional facilities regularly qualifying for TAPA certifications.

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