Tag: Domestic

Springer to write down 600 mln eur on PIN

Posted by | Dec 10, 2007 | |

German publisher Axel Springer SPRGn.DE is preparing around 600 million euros (USD 873.4 million) in writedowns for its mail-delivery unit PIN Group, the Financial Times Deutschland newspaper reported on Monday.

Citing unidentified company sources, the paper reported that Springer plans to close PIN before the end of the year because it lacks some 15 million euros (USD 21.8 million) for expenses such as wages, the paper reported.

Springer did not immediately return two calls from Reuters.

The publisher said last week it is sounding out options for the future of PIN after announcing it plans to cut more than 1,000 jobs in Germany because of a planned minimum wage in Germany for postal delivery workers.

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USPS: Mail holiday packages with care

Posted by | Dec 10, 2007 | |

December is the busiest time of year for mailing and the U.S. Postal Service is helping to make holiday shipping needs a little bit easier. With 20 billion cards, letters and packages expected to be delivered this holiday season, the Postal Service has some tips to help send holiday cheer in a safe, secure manner.

The Postal Service offers free, environmentally friendly Priority Mail and Express Mail boxes and envelopes. These supplies can be ordered at usps.com or picked up at a local Post Office and can be shipped anywhere in the world. But the best consumer value may be Flat Rate Boxes and envelopes. No calculating postage or weighing is needed. Customers pay a flat rate of USD 8.95 no matter the weight of the package or its destination. When a package is ready to be shipped, log on to usps.com/pickup to schedule a free package pickup from home or office.

The Postal Service also offers pre-packaged shipping products, READY POST, sold at local Post Offices for customers unable to find proper mailing boxes and envelopes.

It’s important to remember that packages weighing more than 13 ounces bearing postage stamps must be presented to a letter carrier or retail associate at the Post Office and cannot be dropped in blue collection boxes.

“The Postal Service is making it easier this holiday season to ship to family and friends,” said Delores Killette, vice president and consumer advocate. “These mailing recommendations will help customers send their holiday cheer.”

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Mozambique post offices offer bank services

Posted by | Dec 10, 2007 | |

For the first time in its history, Mozambique’s national postal services utility — Correios de Moçambique — will from next year introduce rural banking services.

The weekly O Pais said in a report on its Sunday online edition that in the first phases, banking services would be opened in Maputo province in the south of the country and in the northern province of Niassa.

Currently the postal service utility operates postal and courier services which are only viable in urban centres.

The utility has been widely ignored by many people because of alleged poor service.

The banking service aims to help the rural population deposit their cash.

In Mozambique, banks and financial institutions are located in urban centres and most people in rural areas resort to keeping their money in homes or have to travel long distances to the nearest urban centres.

However, there are several non-governmental organisations operating banking clubs in the some of the country’s rural areas.

The report said the modernisation and diversification of the services of the national postal services represented one of the biggest challenges the parastatal faced as it aimed to reform its services.

Sources in the ministry of transport and communication were quoted by the paper as saying postal services authorities were in the process of obtaining operating licences and training required staff for the banking sector.

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Royal Mail faces investigation over late letters

Posted by | Dec 10, 2007 | |

Royal Mail is facing an investigation over claims that letters are being delivered late because postmen are failing to complete their rounds.

The mail watchdog, Postwatch, will look into the issue after receiving complaints from the organisation’s staff as well as customers.

Problems with postal deliveries have been blamed on new working practices introduced after strikes by the Communication Workers Union, and a new 56 mph speed limit for lorries, which means that mail is arriving later at sorting offices.

Postwatch will survey thousands of householders to find out whether mail is arriving on time.

The investigation will focus on a practice known as “cutting off”, where workers take undelivered mail back to the delivery office at the end of a shift, rather than finishing the round in overtime.

Royal Mail says it has already fitted its lorries with speed limiters in advance of European Union rules which will restrict their speed from January 1.

Postal workers, writing in an online forum, have threatened to disrupt deliveries at Christmas. One said: “I am cutting off every day in December.” Another said: “I for one will be finishing at my time.”

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Dutch delay postal liberalisation

Posted by | Dec 7, 2007 | |

The liberalisation of the Dutch postal market will not go ahead as planned on 1 January 2008 due to the “lack of a level playing field”, notably caused by the introduction of a minimum wage for postmen in Germany. The delay highlights the difficulties linked to the practical implementation of new EU rules on opening up European postal markets to competition.

The delay, which was announced to members of the Dutch Parliament by Junior Economy Minister Frank Heemskerk on 6 December, came in response to a German government decision last week to introduce a EUR 8- EUR 9.80 per hour minimum wage for postal workers.

In a vote last June, the Dutch Parliament had made full market opening as of 2008 conditional to the existence of a level-playing field in Germany – the main target for market expansion by the Netherlands’ principal mail distributor, TNT.

However, the fear is that the German move to introduce a minimum wage that is 20-30 pct higher than TNT’s current average price per hour will shield the formerly state-owned mail monopoly Deutsche Post from any competition and “endanger the creation of a level playing field” across Europe.

Thus, despite having battled side-by-side with Germany to push through speedier liberalisation of European postal markets, the Dutch government now believes that “the introduction of the postal law from 1 January 2008 would not be prudent,” according to Heemskerk. He did not give another date for full liberalisation, saying things “should become clearer by mid-2008”.

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