Airborne Inc. on Wednesday posted a loss in the first quarter after a year-ago profit, due mostly to higher fuel costs and harsh winter weather. The Seattle-based company, which plans to sell its sell its ground operations to DHL for $1.05 billion, said its first-quarter loss was $5.6 million against a profit of $5.3 million a year ago, gained mostly from cost-cutting.
Read MoreDHL Airways Inc., the cargo airline for DHL Worldwide Express Inc., disclosed yesterday during a government hearing that it planned to sell the business to its chairman and chief executive, John Dasburg. The sale of DHL Airways to Mr. Dasburg, the former president of Northwest Airlines, is an attempt to further defend its relationship with DHL Worldwide. However, some legal experts expect that the Department of Transportation’s chief administrative law judge, Ronnie Yoder, may apply another test of foreign ownership or control: the source of DHL Airways’ revenue. If Judge Yoder determines that DHL Airways is controlled by DHL Worldwide by providing it with a majority of its revenue, DHL Airways could be barred from flying, though analysts suggest that such an outcome is highly unlikely. Under the terms of the deal between DHL Airways and Mr. Dasburg outlined yesterday, Mr. Dasburg would acquire DHL Worldwide’s 25 percent stake in DHL Airways and also acquire the remaining 75 percent from William Robinson, a United States citizen.
Read MoreDHL Worldwide Express GmbH Deutschland’s management will pay the company’s 2,600 employees two percent more as of 1 May 2003. With this the company is giving a positive and employee-friendly signal to the wage negotiations held since the end of March with the trade union Verdi. The trade union is demanding wage increases totalling five percent, as well as fixing works council positions and releasing works councils from work until 2006 together with a complete and permanent renunciation of dismissals.
Read MoreWorkers at DHL Worldwide Express, a German unit of mail and logistics giant Deutsche Post AG, walked off their jobs for several hours Thursday to press demands for a 5-percent pay raise. The company has offered a 1.8 percent raise in two rounds of talks on a new contract covering 2,700 employees. The next round is set for May 7-8.
Read MoreAnxiety about job security is mounting among Airborne staff in Europe in the wake of DHL’s proposed acquisition of the company. DHL would not confirm the scale of any redundancies if the deal gets the goahead from regulators. But at a meeting with senior management from both companies in London on 4 April, Airborne’s European managers expressed concern that many jobs would go and most Airborne offices in Europe would close. The meeting was told that the acquisition was 90% certain to get past the authorities, and while the best staff would be retained, there could be no guarantee that any jobs were safe.
Read More
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.
