Palletline plans new hub
Palletline plans new hub
Read MoreTag: Europe
Romanian Post price hike criticized
The Romanian Direct Marketing Association (Armad) has criticized Romanian Post’s decision to raise postal prices by up to 60 pct from 1st August.
The direct marketing industry is growing fast in Romania at the moment, according to the financial publication, Bursa, and Armad has hit out strongly at the national postal company, saying the decision is abuse of a dominant position in the market, a breach of EU state aid rules in other words.
Romanian Post, on the other hand, said the price increase was compliant with the law and reflected market conditions. It is, said Bursa, the first price rise for two years and at RON 0.5 (EUR 0.16) letter deliveries were half the real cost to the company.
Read MoreUK Businesses meet post chief to discuss rural pricing zone proposal
Chairman of the Postal Services Commission Nigel Stapleton met local businesses to discuss the Royal Mail’s controversial proposals for zonal pricing during a visit to Exeter.
The proposals, which have been submitted by the Royal Mail to Postcomm, are still being considered by the regulator.
The move would see an increase in the cost of business post to rural areas, potentially having a large effect on businesses in the area.
Domestic post would not be affected and the universal price of a first class stamp to post a letter anywhere in the country would remain.
But business post may incur different zonal charges.
Mr Stapleton said Postcomm would be ready to make a tentative decision in about a month’s time and the new pricing structure could be in place by 2008.
Read MoreNightfreight boss's surprise delivery
The boss of a major West Midland delivery company has quit unexpectedly, it was announced yesterday.
Steve Allen was said to have resigned as chief executive of privately-held Nightfreight to “pursue interests outside the group” with immediate effect.
The announcement came after Mr Allen pulled out of a planned interview with The Birmingham Post last Friday without giving a reason.
The Willenhall-based company, which has been through two management buy-outs since 2001, refused to expand on a short statement released yesterday.
Chairman Tim Redburn said: “Over the past 12 months Steve has been instrumental in implementing the group’s strategy which has resulted in good growth in difficult trading conditions.
“However Steve has taken the decision that, moving forward, the business would benefit from a more operationally-focused CEO – a decision the group has supported.”
John Aspin, a non-executive director, has taken over as chief executive “to maintain business continuity and ensure that it is ‘business as usual'”.
In March, the company, which employs more than 2,400 people at more than 70 sites around the UK, announced a 250 per cent rise in operating profit in 2006 to pounds 3.1 million on turnover 6.8 per cent ahead at pounds 8.4 million.
Read MoreUpdate on further strike action by the Communication Workers Union
Royal Mail is hugely disappointed that the Communication Workers Union has called for more damaging strike action. Strike action does not change Royal Mail’s absolute need to modernize, as all our major rivals have already done, if we are to be able to compete successfully in an increasingly challenging marketplace and continue to provide great customer service into the future.
The industrial action announced last Wednesday 18th July by the CWU amounts to a further 24 hour strike which hits different Royal Mail sites at different times. The union said similar action will also take place the following week. As before, the company has contingency arrangements in place to ensure that we can deliver the mail to our customers as quickly as possible.
The union’s stated position that it wants to cause the maximum disruption to Royal Mail, and therefore its customers, is completely at odds with its public stance of supporting the postal service – and its decision to block changes in 240 sites, as already agreed with our people locally, is at odds with its claim to be in favor of modernization.
Royal Mail has already spent months negotiating with the CWU on this year’s pay and on our need to modernize this business. Those negotiations suffered when the union pulled down the shutters on change and stopped when they withdrew and announced their intention to ballot for industrial action on our offer.
The union is also planning a further half-day of strike action at main Crown Post Office branches on Thursday 24th June morning, despite that fact that during last Monday’s half day strike only seven out of 458 Crown Post Office branches were affected, with the rest of the 14,000 strong network working as normal.
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