Tag: Mail Services

PvdA wants to delay liberalisation of post

Posted by | Dec 6, 2007 | |

Coalition party Labour PvdA wants to postpone further liberalisation of the postal market, but coalition party Christian democrat CDA has still not taken a stand on the issue.

This emerged on Thursday morning as trade unions demonstrated in front of Parliament for better employment conditions for postal delivery personnel.
Earlier this year Parliament approved further liberalisation of the market as of 1 January 2008, but this target date was made dependent on the liberalisation of the postal market in other European countries.
Earlier this week it was announced that Germany wants to introduce a minimum wage for postal delivery personnel. TNT Post says this will bring about major changes to the situation in Germany.
PvdA MP Mei Li Vos is now urging that further liberalisation be postponed. Nicolien van Vroonhoven (CDA) does not want to take a stand until Economic Affairs state secretary Frank Heemskerk comes with a proposal.
Heemskerk did not make a statement during the demonstration on Thursday, but will discuss the matter with Parliament later in the day.

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Dutch to postpone mail market liberalization

Posted by | Dec 6, 2007 | |

The Netherlands will postpone the full opening of its mail market, originally due in January, partly because the government fears Germany’s plans to introduce a minimum wage for postal workers will impede competition there.

One condition for the market opening in the Netherlands was a level playing field in Germany. Dominant Dutch mail company TNT argues that does not exist because the planned minimum wage is set too high for it to compete effectively with Deutsche Post.
Dutch Junior Economy Minister Frank Heemskerk said it was unclear what would happen in Germany, adding that discussion surrounding labour conditions for mailmen in the Netherlands was also still fluid.

TNT separately announced that it had settled all outstanding tax matters in Britain and that it planned to raise its dividend payout ratio to 40 percent of normalised net income by 2010 from the current 35 percent. “The introduction of the postal law from January 1, 2008, would not be prudent, and we thus should not do it,” Heemskerk told a parliament committee in The Hague. He said he expected the situation to become clearer in the first half of 2008.

The economy ministry has previously said that the market opening should ideally coincide with the fiscal year of mail companies, or at least with the beginning of a quarter. Both Deutsche Post, which competes with TNT in the Netherlands, and privately-held mail company Sandd sharply criticised the move.

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Royal Mail Retail Compensation to Receive Overhaul

Posted by | Dec 6, 2007 | |

After a public consultation and a close look at Royal Mail’s compensation scheme, Postcomm is proposing changes to the way in which compensation claims are dealt with. The idea is to simplify the process and make it fairer.

Postcomm was concerned that there were inconsistencies in the way in which claims for retail customers were processed and with guidance from Postwatch, a new scheme is being proposed.

Retail customers should, say Postcomm, face less difficulty for claims where post has been lost, damaged or delayed with changes to:

– the processes for making a claim;
– the evidence required to support a claim; and
– the compensation payments themselves.

Nigel Stapleton, Chairman of Postcomm said: “Royal Mail’s compensation schemes for their retail customers have developed over many years and have become difficult for customers to understand. Recognising this, Postcomm has worked closely with Royal Mail and Postwatch to try and find ways to cut through the complexity and make sure mail customers have access to a clear, fair and user-friendly compensation system.”

“Postcomm is committed to remove prescriptive regulation where possible and the development of competition for the business of the largest mailers means we are proposing to do so by withdrawing the regulated bulk mail compensation scheme from April 2009 in favour of solutions based on individual customer need.

“While the overall volume of lost, damaged and delayed post is very small in the context of the total amount of mail carried by Royal Mail, every item is valued by customers and they should be properly compensated when there are such problems.”

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Postcomm proposals aim to simplify Royal Mail's compensation schemes

Posted by | Dec 6, 2007 | |

Royal Mail’s current schemes are inconsistent and difficult for customers to understand.
Proposals aimed at simplifying current schemes to make them easier to use.
Postcomm proposes to remove bulk mail from the compensation scheme in April 2009.

Postcomm, the independent regulator for postal services, has outlined proposed changes to Royal Mail’s compensation schemes for lost, damaged and delayed mail to make them fairer and more suited to customer needs.

The regulator has conducted a public consultation and worked closely with Royal Mail and Postwatch to address concerns about the complexity of Royal Mail’s current compensation schemes for retail customers and some inconsistency in how they are applied.

Following this review, Postcomm is proposing to remove bulk mail from a regulated compensation scheme for delay. Competition for bulk mail customers has developed to a point where the regulator is proposing that it is more appropriate to move towards a market driven option allowing the growth of schemes which reflect the differing needs of large mailers.

Royal Mail’s retail customers should face less difficulty in pursuing their claims because, for retail mail that has been lost, damaged or delayed, the proposals aim to simplify and align:
– the processes for making a claim;
– the evidence required to support a claim; and
– the compensation payments themselves.

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Deutsche Post head under fire for selling shares at key moment

Posted by | Dec 6, 2007 | |

Deutsche Post Chairman Klaus Zumwinkel came under fire Thursday for selling share options after it became clear the German government would push through a minimum wage for the sector.

Economics Minister Michael Glos queried the timing of the sale in remarks to the mass-circulation Bild newspaper

Deutsche Post rejected the criticism, saying there were only restricted windows when board members could sell shares, and Zumwinkel had made use of one of them in a legitimate way.

Deutsche Post surrenders its monopoly on delivering letters in Germany at the end of the year. It has already surrendered its parcel monopoly as part of the privatization process that began in 1991.

Zumwinkel, who sold his share options on Monday, cashing in 4.73 million euros to make a profit of almost 100 per cent, has been a vigorous critic of the postal liberalization programme instituted by the European Union.

Presenting half-year results in August, he referred to an “unparalleled slashing of worker benefits” and accused the European Commission of creating “chaos” in the postal market.

Deutsche Post’s competitors in Germany were paying 40 per cent less than the starting pay at Deutsche Post. “A stop must be put to this,” he said.

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