Tag: France

The European Mail Manifesto: growth, partnership and innovation in a changing industry

Posted by | Jan 12, 2007 | |

The Postal Users Group has issued a manifesto on the main interests of business users of postal services to encourage the European Commission to take the postal users needs into account when it is preparing its next proposals on postal services this year. PUG, an alliance of the major postal users representing 15 trade associations and businesses, points out in its manifesto that the postal services cover a very wide range of businesses and systems. The letter mail business of Europe´s postal operators represent about 1 million jobs and revenues of 47 billion euro; however, PUG shows that the wider sector accounts for an additional 4 million jobs and over 150 billion euro of revenues.

Contents (i)
List of figures (ii)
List of case studies (ii)
List of annexes (ii)
Signatories (iii)
Foreword (iv)
Author’s Foreword (v)
Executive summary (vi)
1. Introduction 1
2. The postal segment of the mail industry
3. The broader mailing industry 17
4. A shared vision for the future 25
5. Conclusion 33
Annex 36
Bibliography 38
P:LibraryPostalEuropean Mail Manifesto PUG 0706.pdf

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French wary over German postal push

Posted by | Jan 11, 2007 | |

European commissioner for the internal market, Charlie McCreevy confirmed that the final remaining monopoly of the deliveries market maintained by national postal companies, for letters weighing less than 50 grammes, should end by 2009.

French President Jacques Chirac said in a speech to rural constituents last weekend that France would “oppose any initiative which would lead to undermining the quality of the public postal service”.

With around 330,000 staff, La Poste is the second biggest employer in France after the French state itself. But unlike other large national monopolies it has not restructured itself to deal with new competitive challenges.

On the services directive, France could rely on strong support from Germany to mitigate the effects of liberalisation. But Berlin has made getting progress on postal liberalisation one of its priorities for the internal market during its presidency. Germany has reformed its own postal service and will end Deutsche Post’s monopoly for items under 50 grammes at the end of 2007. German Chancellor Angela Merkel said in a recent interview that unless other EU countries were to follow suit it would put Germany at an “unacceptable competitive disadvantage”.

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La Poste sees continued strike action in Mail Sorting Offices

Posted by | Jan 8, 2007 | |

La Poste has seen the strike action in its mail sorting centres increase since it began, sporadically, in mid-October. There was little let-up in the industrial action during the festive period. Staff employed under private-sector law have been holding strikes for one hour each night, while those with civil servant status are taking strike action on Friday nights. The trade union SUD, which, along with fellow union Force Ouvriere, has been calling the strikes, reports that 46 sorting offices have been affected, while management reports that between 25 and 35 centres have been hit. Employees are protesting against plans to alter the pattern of working hours, which, would increase the number of nights worked, and are calling for an increase in the rate of additional pay for night shifts.

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France's Sernam sells majority stake

Posted by | Jan 3, 2007 | |

Loss-making French express parcels carrier Sernam has sold a majority stake to Paris-based financial investor Butler Capital Partners, the proceeds from which the former SNCF subsidiary says will help expand its services and network.

Butler has taken 51.8 pct of the Sernam holding company, reportedly for EUR 10.7 million, to add to its diverse investments which include the SNCM ferry company, Paris Saint-German football club and mushroom producer France Champignon.

“The entry of a reference shareholder alongside the management team will allow (us) to accelerate the development of the group in key areas, such as the quality of service offered to the group’s clients and strengthening of the network,” Sernam said in a statement.

Butler will hold the majority on the supervisory board, while the management team will continue to be led by Philippe Chevalier, who led Sernam’s management buy-out from SNCF in 2005, the company said.

Sernam, which is one of France’s largest express parcels operators with around 4.5 pct market share, has 2,100 employees and last year registered a loss of EUR 22 million on revenues of EUR 350 million, according to La Tribune newspaper.

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