Tag: Standard Mail

First class plan (UK)

Posted by | Aug 12, 2008 | |

Royal Mail wants to build a new bulk mail distribution centre as part of a GBP 51 million investment programme in the north west.

As a result of the plans Liverpool Mail Centre, in Copperas Hill, and Crewe Mail Centre would both be relocated to the current regional bulk distribution centre, which is based in Warrington.

The move comes after a six-month consultation period with the Communication Workers’ Unions and Unite and it will see mail centres in Stockport, Oldham and Bolton closed.

Steve Cameron, Royal Mail territory director, said: “It is essential that we have the most suitable postal network to enable us to compete effectively in the years ahead. We need to invest to defend our market share and to retain existing business and win new customers.

“That means reshaping our network in a way that increases efficiency, makes the best of our investment in technology and allows us to improve our service to customers. We are also determined to provide a more modern working environment for our people.”

The changes are part of a GBP 1.2 billion programme to bring new technology and sorting equipment and will not take place until 2009.

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Affiniti selects UK Mail specialist services for time-critical operation

Posted by | Aug 1, 2008 | |

Affiniti, the network solution and communications integrator, is working with same-day expert UK Mail Specialist Services to provide round-the-clock repair and maintenance support to blue-chip clients including major financial institutions. Under the GBP 1 million strategic storage contract, UK Mail Specialist Services will play a vital role in supplying time-critical parts to field engineers, so essential work can be carried out without delay and operational disruption.

More than 10,000 different parts will be stored at 18 UK Mail Specialist Services sites, providing complete coverage across the UK. Effective inventory management with safe storage and accurate stock control will enable release of goods within 30 minutes, resulting in the delivery to field engineers within 2.5 hours of the order being placed. UK Mail Specialist Services will liaise direct with the engineer via SMS to coordinate delivery to fit within their job allocation schedule.

Orders will be placed online via an inventory management system that dovetails into UK Mail Specialist Service’s distribution system. This sophisticated technology solution will interface with Affiniti’s own back-office systems to create a seamless supply chain process that provides complete visibility over the company’s service management operation.

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Postcards make a comeback as holidaymakers nostalgic for traditional messages (UK)

Posted by | Jul 17, 2008 | |

The humble postcard is making a comeback, according to figures which suggest the texting generation has not abandoned the art of writing completely.

The glory days of the picture postcard was in post-war Britain.

Years after their demise was predicted, postcards are landing on British doormats in greater numbers than ever before.

The rise has been driven by nostalgia as holidaymakers return to sending traditional messages.

According to Royal Mail, 135 million post cards were delivered last year, an increase of 30 million compared to 2003.

Museums and other attractions have started to sell postcards in far greater numbers, according to a spokesman at the Royal Mail, explaining why so many more cards were being sent.

The increasing number of foreign holidays and short breaks has also helped to spark the renaissance of the humble 6 inch by 4 inch card.

The revival of the postcard goes some way to offsetting the slow demise of the stamped letter.

The Royal Mail, two months ago, admitted it handled three million fewer stamped letters each day.

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German cabinet approves minimum wage extension

Posted by | Jul 16, 2008 | |

Chancellor Angela Merkel’s government approved a draft law on Wednesday that could nearly double the number of German workers protected by a sectoral minimum wage.
Labour Minister Olaf Scholz’s plan to enable more sectors of the economy to introduce a minimum wage has come under fire from employers and been a sticking point in the ruling coalition of conservatives and centre-left Social Democrats (SPD) for months.
Scholz from the SPD, and Economy Minister Michael Glos, a conservative, came to an agreement late on Tuesday and the draft legislation was approved by the cabinet on Wednesday morning, government officials said.

A sector-specific minimum wage already applies to about 1.8 million employees in Germany across seven sectors, among them construction workers and postal delivery staff.

A further eight sectors, ranging from temporary workers to security personnel and comprising about 1.6 million employees, have sought inclusion in the minimum wage framework.

Germany’s total workforce numbers around 40 million.

The draft law allows for an extension of the so-called “Entsendegesetz”, an existing law which enables sectors of the economy to set their own minimum wage, but does not specifically name which new sectors will be included.

A working group under Scholz’s supervision has been charged with reconciling coalition differences over the new sectors.

The SPD has pushed for a blanket minimum wage for all, but Merkel’s conservatives reject this.

Glos, a member of the Bavarian Christian Social Union (CSU), was a particularly robust opponent of Scholz’s plans but dropped his opposition after a conversation on Tuesday evening with Merkel.

Merkel has softened her opposition to the idea of sector-wide wage deals since taking power in 2005 and had pushed for a compromise.

Glos succeeded in winning some concessions, notably an agreement which ensures government-decreed minimum wages are not permanent. That would theoretically allow a new government to reverse the wage law.

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