Tag: Mail Services

Dutch aim for postal liberalisation on July 1

Posted by | Mar 4, 2008 | |

The Dutch government hopes the postponed liberalisation of the mail market, originally due in January, will come into force on July 1 depending on developments in Germany and Dutch labour negotiations.

Dutch Junior Economy Minister Frank Heemskerk said in a letter to parliament published late on Monday he hoped to have a clearer view on both matters by the middle of April.

“I hope it can then be concluded, taking into account the necessary caution, that it remains possible for the new postal law to come into effect on July 1, 2008,” he said.

The Netherlands decided in December to postpone the full opening of its mail market partly because of fears that a German minimum wage for postal workers impedes competition there after Deutsche Post lost its remaining monopoly on Jan. 1.

Dominant Dutch mail company TNT had hoped to expand in Germany but says it cannot compete effectively with Deutsche Post because the minimum wage per hour is too high.

TNT has sued the German state at a court in Berlin and Heemskerk said he would report back to parliament on an expected ruling in early April after a hearing on March 7.

He also noted Dutch postal companies were due to hold talks with workers in March about labour conditions in the Netherlands and said he would follow these talks closely.

The FNV trade union says the Netherlands should only open its postal market to full competition when all workers get minimum wages and have labour contracts.

TNT’s workers have employment contracts, but rivals privately-owned Sandd and Deutsche Post’s Dutch unit Selekt Mail usually do not offer contracts and pay postal workers by the number of items delivered.

Rabo Securities said in a note it did not expect the government would meet the July 1 date as the outcome of the German court case was highly uncertain and it doubted whether Dutch unions would reach a deal in time.

“From sources in the market, we understand that negotiations are progressing slowly. Especially the challengers Sandd and SelektMail are unwilling to sign a collective labour agreement, as long as there is no clarity on the liberalisation,” it said.

TNT has the remaining monopoly for letters up to 50 grammes in the Netherlands, estimated to be worth about 1 billion euros (USD 1.5 billion) in 2007.

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Consultation Starts On Changes To Post Office Network – Post Office Ltd announces plans for the Northern and Western Isles

Posted by | Mar 4, 2008 | |

Post Office Ltd today opened a six-week local public consultation on its Area Plan for the Northern and Western Isles.

In line with the criteria and factors set by the UK Government in its response document, DTI, The Post Office Network, Government Response to Public Consultation in May 2007 (www.dti.gov.uk/consultations/page36024.html) – the Area Plan for the islands proposes future provision of Post Office® services through a total network of 113 branches across the area, resulting in the closure of 19 existing branches.

Post Office Ltd proposes to close 13 branches in the Western isles, mainly on the island of Lewis and 6 branches in Orkney and Shetland.

Under the proposals, 97 pct of the area’s population will either see no change to their nearest branch, or will remain within one mile (by road distance) of an alternative branch.

The detailed Area Plan proposal for the Northern and Western Isles is now available.

The UK Government has already undertaken a 12 week national consultation before reaching a decision to reduce the UK wide network of Post Office® branches by up to 2500 from its current level of over 14000 while continuing to provide funding to support a more sustainable network in the future. The proposals now published support the national accessibility criteria introduced by the UK Government.

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Wall Street’s mobile teams begin on-site disbursement of workers’ salaries

Posted by | Mar 4, 2008 | |

The service, which comes with no extra charge to the workers, is available to companies that have signed agreements with Emirates Post to have their workers’ salaries paid out through mobile teams of Wall Street Exchange.

The Wall Street teams visit designated venues, usually workers’ accommodation sites, on fixed days to disburse the salaries, using laptops and GPRS to enable workers to transfer money to their home countries through Wall Street’s large network of correspondent banks across the globe, including South Asia, for a competitive fee.

The worker can either transfer money to a beneficiary bank account or send cash within minutes using other available money transfer channels, including Instant Cash and Western Union.

Abdul Basit Al Suwaidi, CEO – UAE, Wall Street Exchange said:

“Wall Street is among the first companies to offer this value addition of salary disbursal at the doorstep of workers. We have signed agreements with several companies, involving thousands of workers. The first experience of distributing salaries through our mobile teams was completed in February with a success rate of 99.9%. The response from the companies and the workers has been overwhelming.”

Companies signing agreements with Emirates Post for enabling the salary payout of workers enjoy several benefits and advantages, including convenient locations, extended timings, timely payment and, most importantly, the facility of transferring money without going through the trouble of visiting an exchange company.

The Wall Street mobile team service is available to companies with over 500 workers.

In the case of companies with less than 500 workers, they will have to collect their salary from designated post offices.

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International Direct Marketing Fair

Posted by | Mar 4, 2008 | |

Postcomm is to hold a Post Theatre at this year International Direct Marketing Fair.

With one in five business customers exploring alternatives to mail, many have already moved their mail to other media and Postcomm intends to make the most of the event.

The International Direct Marketing Fair, held at Earls Court, is where strategy makers and decision takers responsible for marketing, direct marketing, data, digital, CRM and research come to find new and more innovative ways to generate a better response to their direct marketing campaigns.

Currently the UKs largest attended exhibition for the direct marketing industry, focus areas will include; helping the environment, electronic substitution, the innovation of hybrid mail and the way that Postcomm, the regulator for postal services, sees the future of the postal market, will be discussed at a series of seminars in London.

The three days of seminars make up a Post Theatre that Postcomm is hosting at this years International Direct Marketing Fair which opens from 29 April 1 May at Earls Court 2, London. Entrance is free.

The liberalisation of the UK postal market has brought about significant changes in the way business postal services are handled. But in parallel with liberalisation, other influences have developed, such as the rise in electronic communication and concerns about the environment.

While electronic communication has led to substitution, digital technology provides further opportunities for innovation in the mails market. Consumer spending on online shopping grew 50 pct last year and all mail operators are seeking innovative ways to fulfill these orders. Hybrid mail is now available: this is an electronic-to-physical service which allows businesses and individuals to send letters electronically from personal computers directly to a print facility near its destination where it is printed, enveloped and delivered locally.

As well as reducing staff time and the need for paper, envelopes and franking machines for the sender, hybrid mail has a reduced carbon footprint compared with traditional delivery networks because it cuts out the need to carry mail over a long distance. Many of the major companies offering hybrid systems will have speakers at the seminar.

Companies entering the liberalised postal market initially targeted large customers, but now we are seeing more special services being offered to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Royal Mail will be explaining its special services aimed at SMEs.

Other topics include choosing the right mail provider, the future of direct marketing, and the views of customers.

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Japan Post and Sankyu to form Joint Venture

Posted by | Mar 4, 2008 | |

Japan Post has announced that it will establish an international air cargo joint venture with Sankyu Inc.

The as yet unnamed joint venture, which will be owned by Japan Post Service (60%) and by Sankyu (40%), is expected to begin operations in July.

Sankyu will transfer its international air cargo operations to the joint venture.

The JV partners also plan to set up subsidiaries overseas.

Japan Post and Sankyu have co-operated on parcel services between Japan and the rest of Asia since 2004, with Sankyu collecting parcels overseas and Japan Post delivering in Japan.

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