Tag: South America

Brazilian postal strike ends after compromise deal

Posted by | Sep 25, 2007 | |

The postal strike in Brazil has ended after nine days following union acceptance of a compromise deal agreed through a mediation body. Postal operator Correios is now working to clear a massive backlog of letters and parcels.

Postal workers voted on September 21 to accept a deal based on a 3.74 pct pay rise, a linear increase of R$60 (EUR 22.79) next January, a one-off payment of R$ 500 (EUR 189.92) now, a further one-off payment of R$391 (EUR 148.52) and various social benefits. The deal, negotiated via the country’s supreme labour tribunal, was a slight improvement on the original offer from Correios but substantially below the demands of the postal union Fentect.

The union agreed to try to clear the backlog of mail and parcels during the week ending September 29. Correios put the backlog in Sao Paulo state, which accounts for about 42 pct of Brazil’s mail, at 19.5 million items.

Thousands of staff of the country’s postal operator Empresa Brasileira de Correios e Telégrafos (ECT) had gone on strike on September 13.

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Fedex and DHL lead customer surveys for transportation and warehousing in Mexico

Posted by | Sep 24, 2007 | |

A recent market study conducted by InfoAmericas included telephone interviews with 50 manufacturing company executives in Mexico City, Monterrey, Guadalajara and San Luís Potosí (22 percent of them decision makers for logistic providers contracting) revealed that, in Mexico, the “top-of-mind” leaders for transportation and warehousing companies are FedEx, followed by DHL and K+N tied for second, and UPS in third place. Respondents mentioned DHL most frequently as a second alternative, followed by FedEx and the duo K+N & UPS.

Branding managers measure top-of-mind awareness as an indicator of positioning within specific target market. Being the first brand mentioned by potential consumers surveyed is a good indication of an intention to purchase goods or services from the mentioned company.

Inadequate infrastructure limits Mexico’s competitiveness and impedes the functional integration of productive chains, from raw materials to finished and delivered products. Interviewees ranked standard government built (free) roads as the worst Mexican transportation infrastructure mode (6.2) followed by and railroads (6.5), well behind the better-scoring toll highways (8.0) and air and sea ports (7.9), both of which are privately built and managed.

Equally compelling and much less costly is the call to open up Mexican domestic trucking to international ownership, presently barred under the auspices of the NAFTA. Cross border logistics in Mexico have achieved their efficiency levels thanks to the investments by players like UPS, FedEx and DHL as well as YRC, K&N, Panalpina, and others. Their technology and global best practices are essential to raising competitiveness. They have been a shot in the arm to Mexico’s cross-border sector – now they are needed in Mexico’s domestic trucking market.

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Brazil Postal Service Goes on Strike. Workers Want USD 100 Plus 47 pct Raise

Posted by | Sep 13, 2007 | |

Starting today, post office branches throughout Brazil will be closed. Gathered in meetings in several states the workers at ECT (Brazilian Postal and Telegraph Company) decided to go on strike for undetermined time until their demands for bigger salaries and better work conditions are met.

José Gonçalves Jacó, the director of ECT’s Workers National Federation believes that 100,000 of the 110,000 postal workers will join the strikers. In the southern state of Paraná, for example, about 80pct of the ECT employees have already stopped their activities, according to the president of Paraná’s Post Office Workers Union, Nilson Rodrigues dos Santos.

In the negotiations round held Wednesday, September 12, informed Jacó, the ECT offered to hike wages by 3.74 pct, while the workers are asking for a 47 pct raise plus what they call “real wage hike” of 200 reais (about USD 100). In its counterproposal the postal service offered 50 reais (about USD 25), which will not be paid before January of next year.

Workers are demanding more than better wages. They also want maternity leave for six months and hazardous work supplement. “Today, mailmen endure a bigger incidence of skin cancer as well as dog attacks, assaults and other accidents,” justified the president of the Paraná’s union.

Maybe this is not the best time for the announcement, but the Brazilian Ministry of Communications made known that it is studying the opening of the capital of the national Postal Services as an alternative for modernizing and expanding the company. The information was given by the minister of Communications, Hélio Costa.

The minister submitted yesterday to the minister of Finance, Guido Mantega, the proposal for expansion of the Postal Service, of which, according to him, president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva was already aware.

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Brazilian government looks at opening capital of the Postal Service

Posted by | Sep 12, 2007 | |

The Brazilian Ministry of Communications is studying the opening of the capital of the national Postal Services as an alternative for modernizing and expanding the company, as informed today (12 september) by the minister of Communications, Hélio Costa.

The minister submitted today to the minister of Finance, Guido Mantega, the proposal for expansion of the Postal Service, of which, according to him, president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva was already aware.

According to the minister, the establishment of a large logistics company, linked to the state-owned one, would be another alternative for catering to the “huge demand” in the order delivery market. “We are forecasting an increase of over 100 pct for next year. Either the Postal Services will prepare itself, or it will end up losing this market,” he stated.

Another proposal would be the restructuring of the Postal Bank, which currently functions in partnership with privately owned bank Bradesco. According to Hélio Costa, the bank has 5,200 branches, around 5,000 accounts are opened per day, and 10 billion Brazilian reais (USD 5.1 billion) are deposited.

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DHL expanding its operation in Costa Rica

Posted by | Sep 7, 2007 | |

The international shipping company DHL this week announced plans to expand its operation in Costa Rica, creating an additional 500 jobs by February 2008.

DHL Costa Rica general manager Rodrigo Quirós told the daily La República the company has been pleased with the results of the call centers it runs here and has decided to move some of its operations from the United States to Costa Rica.

The company plans to set up another call center and a department to carry out internal administrative work. DHL will be hiring about 500 people to fill these jobs, which require English and customer service skills, Quirós said.

DHL’s decision was influenced by cost factors and Costa Rica’s proven solid labor market, he added.

The company hopes to have this new department and center up and running by February of next year at its offices in La Aurora de Heredia, north of San José.

About 2,200 people work this office, which serves as DHL’s Central American headquarters. The company grew more than 35 pct last year, from 800 employees to almost 1,100.

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