Tag: TNT

Dutch 'not backtracking' on mail opening

Posted by | Jul 3, 2008 | |

Speaking to EurActiv, Dutch state secretary for economic affairs Frank Heemskerk rejected allegations that his country was “backtracking” on liberalising its postal market, saying he was committed to the fight for a level playing field across Europe.

According to him, full opening of the Dutch mail market – originally planned for 1 January 2008, but postponed due to Dutch objections to the introduction of a German minimum hourly wage for postmen – simply cannot take place until three conditions are met.

“The first condition is a formal one, which is that the Dutch Senate has not approved the postal law yet so it cannot be introduced yet,” he said.

The two other criteria include “a level playing field in Europe, in particular in the major markets such as Germany and the UK” and “fair” labour conditions.

In Germany, “the postal market may be formally open but in practice it’s not,” he said, urging the German government “not to take a protectionist approach but to open up their market to newcomers”.

Asked whether it is contradictory to oppose the introduction of a German minimum wage while, at the same time, seeking to enforce a similar practice in the Netherlands, the minister said the situation was “totally different”.

He stressed that “there are indications that newcomers are even paying below the minimum wages and that’s against the law. So, I want to have 100 pct certitude that they do not pay below minimum wage,” he explained, pleading for unions and employers to find agreement on “a gradual, step-by-step growth model” where newcomers improve the wages they pay as the market is opened and they increase their market share.

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TNT Express names new Head of Communications

Posted by | Jul 3, 2008 | |

TNT Express GmbH, based in Troisdorf (DE), have appointed Markus Gehmeyrist as Head of Company Communication on 1 July. In this position he is responsible for the merger sectors external and internal communications, as well as the events/sponsoring segment and company spokesman. Gehmeyrist reports directly to Thomas Kraus, Chairman of TNT Express GmbH. Markus Wohler, who led the press and public relations department for over 19 years, is leaving TNT by mutual consent.

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Parcelnet takes over TNT courier service (UK)

Posted by | Jun 30, 2008 | |

Parcelnet is to deliver an extra 12.5m parcels a year after acquiring Dutch-owned TNT’s courier service. Last year Parcelnet took over Redcats UK, a key player in the UK home shopping sector and says the latest acquisition will help strengthen Parcelnet’s network and expand it’s client base.

Parcelnet was formed in 2000 following the merger of Speedlink & Direct Line and already handled over 90 million parcel deliveries and returns collections annually. It has 3 sortation hubs, 16 regional depots and 135 sub-depots.

There are thought to be around 5500 self employed couriers working under the Parcelnet umbrella and the company now employs over 1200 people across the country.

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Commission announces crackdown on mail monopolies

Posted by | Jun 26, 2008 | |

Speaking at a high-level conference on postal liberalisation on Tuesday (24 June), the EU’s commissioners for competition and the internal market warned countries with lingering postal monopolies to open up or face legal action.

“We will not hesitate to use all means at our disposal to make a competitive and sustainable postal market a reality,” said EU Internal Market Commissioner Charlie McCreevy, warning governments not to introduce what he called “creative market barriers” under the pretext of safeguarding basic mail services for all.

Such measures will undoubtedly include infringement procedures against member states that are “backtracking” on their pledges to liberalise the postal market fully, said Competition Commissioner Neelie Kroes. “You know me, I will enforce competition rules in the postal sector […] Regulation is not enough,” she said, highlighting the fact that she had already sent a formal notice to Slovakia on 18 June regarding its plans to “re-monopolise certain sectors of its postal market”.

The strong statements come a surprisingly short time – just four months – after the EU pushed through legislation, which only commits member states to full liberalisation of their mail markets by 2011 at the earliest.

They appear as a testimony of Brussels’ commitment to full market opening amid growing apprehension at the national level as to the concrete effects of full liberalisation on employment and the provision of a quality service for all.

Although no names were cited, Germany appears to take the brunt of the Commission’s discontent, with its plans to introduce a minimum hourly wage of EUR for postmen operating on its territory in order to prevent social dumping.

The move has sparked a big dispute with the Netherlands, where Dutch Junior Economy Minister Frank Heemskerk retaliated by delaying his country’s own planned 1 January 2008 liberalisation until a “more level playing field” was established – a move also under fire from the Commission.

Both Germany and the Netherlands have received letters from the commissioner in which he voices such concerns. So have Finland, Austria, the Czech Republic, Belgium and Poland – making them all potential targets for legal action. The complaints cover a wide range of practices – from Finland’s charges on new entrants that do not agree to provide nationwide services or Belgian plans to simply force all new operators to deliver across its whole territory to Austria allowing its national operator to install key access to private letter boxes in apartment hallways.

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TNT deal rescues MPS cash shortfall (UK)

Posted by | Jun 26, 2008 | |

TNT Post has eased the pressure on the funding shortfall faced by the Mailing Preference Service (MPS) by agreeing to support the organisation which funds the scheme.

Nick Wells, Chief Executive of TNT Post, confirmed that the private postal operator has written to its customers to ask their permission to add an extra charge to their invoices to contribute towards the fund.

The Advertising Board of Finance (Asbof) collects the levy which pays for self-regulatory schemes, such as the MPS, and the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA).

Royal Mail currently collects 0.2 per cent of brand owners’ direct mail spend, which it passes on to Asbof to fund these schemes, but until now new entrants to the postal market have not collected any money, fuelling fears that the schemes could be doomed. This is despite the fact that nearly half of all downstream access mail volumes are now handled by private operators.

Asbof chairman Winston Fletcher says: “We’re absolutely delighted that TNT Post is supporting the self-regulation of direct marketing in this way. Self-regulation cannot work without funding and the fact that the largest independent mail operator, TNT Post, has come aboard is clear evidence of how important self-regulation is to the direct marketing industry.”

Fletcher hopes that many of the other independent postal operators will follow TNT Post’s lead.

The move comes at a time when the Government is piling pressure on the industry to expand the MPS. The DMA has been encouraging the industry to back self-regulation to avoid the implementation of opt-in legislation as threatened by the Government.

Earlier this year, Asbof board member Charles Ping warned the MPS would be “buggered” unless more client companies started paying the levy.

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