FedEx Corp. said yesterday it was in talks with the French government about
using the country’s prestigious high-speed rail network to transport
packages and freight. FedEx, which uses Paris Charles de Gaulle airport as its main European hub, hopes the government will agree to link up the
high-speed TGV network to its facility, but a deal is likely to take years to negotiate, FedEx officials said.
French postal workers kicked off three days of strikes in the public sector Tuesday, as unions mount a challenge to the cautious liberalisation policies of President Jacques Chirac’s centre-right government. Some 300,000 staff were urged to stop work on a day that the National Assembly began debate on a bill to open the state-owned La Poste to outside competition in accordance with European Union directives. At mid-morning management reported that only 13 percent of workers were on strike, though the figure was higher in Paris.
Read MoreThe French National Assembly will discuss the postal law on 18 January 2004, which also covers French teleocms regulator ART, reports Les Echos. According to AFP, an amendment proposing the dissolution of the ART could be tabled at this session. French Trade + Industry Minister Patrick Devedjian is opposed to Parliament interfering with the ART. He argues this would affect its independence, especially as it must make very important decisions in the coming days over the future of telecoms market for the next four years.
Read MoreTNT Mail, the main challenger to Royal Mail in the UK deregulated postal market, said it has secured five customers in its first three months of operation. New clients include Sky, Caudwell Communications, Express Gifts, and Booker, all of which will operate under TNT Mail’s downstream access agreement with Royal Mail. This is in addition to its 20 existing customers. Since the access agreement with Royal Mail went live in August 2004, TNT Mail is now handling nearly 1 million items every week. Through the existing customer base TNT Mail expects to handle over 200 million items in 2005 but will exceed this volume as new clients come on stream.
Read MoreManaging Director of DHL Express UK & Ireland, John Hogan, has been co-opted to join the National Executive Board of the Freight Transport Association. “I am delighted to have been asked to join the board. The FTA is a powerful force for good in our industry and I am looking forward to working with the other directors and contributing to the future direction of the freight and distribution industry in the UK.”
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