AllAfrica.com has reported that "From June 14 to 16, 2007 the sea
side resort of Yasmine Hammamet will host "Technopost Africa 2007" an
international conference jointly organized by the Tunisian Postal
services, the Universal Postal Union, and the pan African Union of
Posts. The main items on the agenda will touch on electronic commerce,
hybrid mail, safe mail, electronic registered mail, E-banking, global
banking, M-post and mobile telephony, E-learning, as well as
E-management."
From
Business Wire: "FedEx Freight Canada, the newly-formed subsidiary of
FedEx Freight that provides seamless intra-Canada and transborder
less-than-truckload (LTL) service, officially unveiled its new combined
national headquarters and 48 dock-door service center, located on Wilson
Avenue in Toronto."
June 14, 2007
The
Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, of which
Senator Susan Collins is the Ranking Member, today approved a
resolution that she and Senator Joseph Lieberman (ID-CT) coauthored to
reaffirm the constitutional protections of sealed domestic mail. This
approval paves the way for the legislation to be considered by the full
Senate. The measure is also cosponsored by Senators Tom Carper (D-DE),
Norm Coleman (R-MN), Daniel Akaka (D-HI), Russ Feingold (D-WI), and
Patrick Leahy (D-VT).
From
Business Wire: "Direct Group, a fully integrated direct marketing
solutions provider, announced today that Chris Ryan has been promoted to
the newly created position of Chief Operating Officer (COO). Focused on
the direct mail, postal and logistics side of the business, Ryan will
oversee the company's 800-plus employee production facility in
Swedesboro, NJ, one of the largest-volume, single-site commercial
mailing operations in the world. Ryan, a founding partner and
shareholder of Direct Group, previously held the position of Executive
Vice President responsible for service, quality, sales and marketing."
According to
Personnel Today, "The Communication Workers Union (CWU) has accused
Royal Mail of attempting to provoke strike action rather than looking to
negotiate."
The
Financial Times has reported that "Alliance & Leicester, a banking
group, is benefiting from a more than £10m cut in its Post Office costs
after signing a new contract in April."
According to
Sustainable
Industries, "Avoiding left turns is helping United Parcel Service
Inc. save loads on gasoline. Using electronic processing technology to
plan delivery routes around right-hand turns, the company is taking full
advantage of a U.S. traffic law that was first implemented in the 1970s
as a way to save gas."
MaltaMedia has reported that "A dispute between Unjoni Ħaddiema
Magħqudin (UĦM) and Maltapost management, which led to postal operators
striking at end of May, came to an end on Wednesday with the signing of
their collective agreement." See also the
Times
of Malta.
According to
DutchNews, "Postal unions say they accept that over 6,000 jobs will
have to go at TNT. 'Otherwise the risk is too great that the company
will run into trouble,' Abvakabo spokeswoman Anneke Stevens told ANP."
The Guardian has reported that:
-
The
Communication Workers Union last night held off from calling the
first national postal strike for more than a decade, asking instead
for further talks with Royal Mail over pay and productivity.
However, the union's postal executive, which has been given a
mandate by the membership to call for industrial action, is to meet
again next week to discuss its strategy if Royal Mail fails to
respond.
-
The
chairman of Royal Mail has insisted there is no money available
to improve a 2.5% pay offer to staff who are threatening a national
strike. See also the
BBC.
Transport Intelligence has reported that:
-
DHL has announced the acquisition of a 49% minority
equity interest and a 24.9% voting interest in
ASTAR Air Cargo of Miami, Fla. DHL also extended its ACMI
contract with the carrier through 2019.
-
UK courier network
Parcelnet has now completed a £250m deal with Redcats UK and
plans are underway to integrate the Redcats courier network into
Parcelnet creating a 7000 strong courier home delivery network. The
growth in home shopping is behind the company's plan to create
greater network coverage and a range of enhanced service options to
meet the increasing demands of home shopping customers.
In a
letter to every member of the Senate,
Postmaster General John Potter said that "the Postal Service
strongly opposes S.1457, the "Mail Delivery and Protection Act."
This
bill would override current collective bargaining agreements and
effectively eliminate an important tool needed by the Postal Service to
continually introduce greater efficiencies into its operation. If
enacted, with an exception of a very limited use, no new contracts for
mail delivery could be initiated.
The ability of the Postal Service to
effectively manage its vast delivery operations would be largely
eliminated, and new opportunities for small businesses to carry
contracts for transporting and delivering mail would be eliminated.
Currently 99 percent of our contract delivery services are performed by
small, minority- or women-owned businesses. This use of private-sector
services is not new. The Postal Service has used contractors to
transport and deliver mai! since 1785, when Congress first authorized
the Post Office Department to contract with stagecoach companies."
The
Postal
Regulatory Commission is seeking comments from the public on service
standards and performance measurements for market-dominant postal
products announced Commission Chairman Dan G. Blair today. Interested
persons are invited to submit written comments and suggestions on what
the service standards should be and what system or systems of
performance measures should be used to evaluate whether those service
standards are met. The Commission’s request for public comments has been
posted on its website, www.prc.gov and
will be published in the Federal Register. Initial
comments will be due
on July 16, 2007, and all comments and suggestions received by the
Commission will be available for review on the website. Interested
persons are invited to provide followup comments and suggestions by July
30, 2007. Commenters are asked to tie their suggestions to the
applicable statutory objectives and factors listed in section 3691 and
on the Commission’s website under Docket No. PI2007-1.
Reuters has reported that "The European Parliament's three main
parties have agreed to the full opening of the European Union's postal
market from the end of 2010, two years later than originally proposed,
an EU source said on Wednesday. Members of the Socialist and Liberal
blocs and the centre-right European People's Party gave informal
blessing to a cross-party deal on Tuesday evening, the source said. "The
compromise is that the final date for liberalisation is 31 December,
2010," the source said."
According to
TransWorldNews, "With the increase in postage rates in effect for
nearly a month, some businesses are feeling the heat more than others.
While many companies that mainly use catalogs as marketing are being
scorched by the new restrictions and costs, companies who use postcards
haven’t been affected enough to feel singed. Indeed, all postage prices
went up, including the inexpensive postcard that went up from $0.24 to
$0.26 per card. The postcard, however, isn’t nearly as affected due to
the weight and size of a postcard being consistent, whereas catalogs are
of varying weights and sizes. Joy Gendusa, postcard marketing guru and
CEO of PostcardMania, is letting the solution out to help those
businesses burning alive. “The trick is not to send out catalogs to
mailing lists in order to get prospects, but to instead send postcards
to get people to request a catalog from your business. The point is to
get them interested and curious enough to call or email your company for
the rest of the information.” For years PostcardMania has been doing
mailings for catalogers who send postcards out as their first line of
promotion in order to get their prospects to request one of their
catalogues. The end result for these catalogers is more qualified leads
and less money procuring them."
Logistics
Management has reported that "Express delivery and logistics
services provider DHL said today it has opened a new international
gateway in Hermosillo, Mexico, which will offer international next-day
service and enable the company to meet the growing needs of companies
shipping freight between Northwest Mexico and the United States."
From
Business Wire: "Group 1 Software, Inc., a Pitney Bowes Company,
has announced that the latest release of its MailStream
Plus® mail preparation and presort software has received U.S. Postal
Service® PAVE certification for PAVE Cycle I."
The
Malta Star has reported that "An envelope mailed from England to
Malta in 1841, with eight stamps - five Penny Blacks and three Two-penny
Blues – was auctioned for charity for $650,000 (Lm240,877). A British
individual managed to win the auction for this item after offering “the
highest amount ever bid over the Internet for a philatelic item”, said
the International Herald Tribune on Tuesday. The envelope was sent to
‘Lady Louis’ in Malta from Falmouth. It is considered as a “one of the
most important postal history rarities of Great Britain”.
Japan Today has
reported that "The All Japan Postal Labor Union launched its national
assembly Wednesday with a view to voting Friday on whether to merge with
the Japan Postal Workers' Union, or JPU, upon the planned privatization
of the postal system in October."
June 13, 2007
Reuters has reported that "The European Parliament's main parties
have agreed to allow full competition in postal services throughout the
European Union from 2011, an EU source said on Wednesday. The European
Commission had proposed the completion of the freeing up of postal
services to full competition from the start of 2009 to include the
collection and delivery of letters weighing up to 50 grams. Heavier mail
is already liberalised. The plan met with opposition from many EU states
that say operators were not yet ready for more competition in a 90
billion euro ($120 billion) sector that employs 2 million people."
From
MarketWire: "Did you know that Canada Post handled more than
290,000 change of address requests for Quebec in 2005 and more than
302,000 in 2006? With more than 116 million items a year redirected
throughout Canada, Canada Post, through its change of address service,
provides an affordable service that is among the most reliable. It is
well known that the months of June and July are a feverish period
punctuated by many moves for people in Quebec. Between boxes, moving
out, renovations, decorating and moving in, you want to make sure that
your regular mail and even your occasional mail (financial statements,
license renewals, memberships or subscriptions, annual reports and
product recall notices) are delivered to you without worry. By acting
without delay, at least two weeks before your move, you can protect your
mail and your identity and move with peace of mind of no interruption in
postal service."
CEP News (Courier-Express-Postal), published by the MRU Consultancy, has reported that:
At the end of a 15-year long period of postal market liberalisation
in Europe, the EU member states’ ministers of economic affairs have
reached a mere compromise. Despite severe consequences for private
operators, the binding final date for market liberalisation has been
postponed until 2011. East European member states and Greece are
entitled to prolong this deadline by another two years.
Britons have been asked by Postwatch, Postcomm and Royal Mail how
they feel about earlier mail collection times and other issues
concerning the post. Most of the poll participants said clearly that
they wanted to be able to post their letters as late as possible in
the day. At the same time, they expect to receive mail as early in
the morning as possible.
British regulator Postcomm has ordered Royal Mail to abandon its
system of last mail collection from post boxes at 9 a.m. which is
practised in many locations. Postcomm says the last collection must
be in the afternoon.
Swedish property owners do not intend to take over costs for
collective letterbox installation.
Germany’s PIN Group is aiming to set up "a branch network at least
as big as that of Deutsche Post", claims company chairman Günter
Thiel in an interview with »Euro am Sonntag« magazine.
The State Bank of India (SBI) plans to offer selected financial
services at India Post counters.
Business will apparently continue at the private German postal
service provider Jurex. The company announced this Tuesday that "a
group of experienced investors from the postal market has taken over
the business subject to agreement of the Federal Cartel Office".
The discussion surrounding the planned privatisation of the Kuwaiti
post has regained momentum.
FedEx intends to reinforce its co-operation with Adobe. Last week,
the companies confirmed that FedEx Kinko’s Print Online Service
would shortly be integrated into the Adobe programmes "Reader" and
"Acrobat", offering software users "an easy and convenient way of
sending their printing jobs to any FedEx Kinko shop in the USA".
Pakistan’s post has experienced a dramatic 20% drop in annual mail
volumes recently. E-mail communication in particular is said to have
caused the slump.
Following the example of West European post companies, the
Vietnamese post is now splitting its activities into postal and
telecommunications operations.
German mail order company Otto Group’s plans for the development of
a European distribution and parcel network are increasingly taking
shape.
Through intensified cooperation with Swiss railway company
Schweizerische Bundesbahn (SBB), DHL Schweiz plans to increase its
number of private clients and SMEs.
German express service Trans-o-flex is reinforcing its European
network EURODIS. As has been expected, the subsidiary of Austria’s
Österreichische Post has integrated Slovakian sister company In Time
Logistics as a network partner.
FedEx founder and CEO Fred W Smith could be in line for an important
political position. Presidential candidate Senator John McCain told
media representatives that Mr Smith would be "a valuable addition to
his cabinet, should he be elected in 2008".
The MRU, founded in 1992, is the only consultancy in Europe, which has specialised in the market of courier-, express- and parcel services. For large-scale shippers and CEP-services in particular, the MRU provides interdisciplinary advice for all major questions of the market, as there are for example market entry, product design, organisation, and EDP.
To learn more about the stories reported above, contact CEP News. (We appreciate the courtesy extended by CEP News to help whet your appetite for more of what CEP offers.)
The
Financial Times has reported that "In the past six years, the mail
systems pioneer Pitney Bowes has acquired more than 65 companies, all on
the watch of Michael Critelli, chief executive at the time and now
executive chairman. He has been systematically refocusing the business,
transforming it from the collection of diverse businesses he found when
he joined the legal department 28 years ago. His goal is to make the
Connecticut-based group a leader in the “mailstream” marketplace –
everything connected with the creation and distribution of letters and
packages. Non-core activities have been cut away; the acquisitions are
only in areas where Pitney Bowes, inventor of the postage stamping
machine, intends to vie for market leadership. Now the intention is to
integrate the new businesses seamlessly into Pitney Bowes’ central
systems. Over the past decade, the company has installed SAP enterprise
software to handle the back office, and Siebel’s customer relationship
management software for customer-facing functions."
As
the
Los Angeles Times has noted, "The men in yellow shirts are competing
with your mail carrier. They wend their way through quiet, residential
neighborhoods, dropping off mail at every house, delivering it not to
mailboxes, but by hanging it on doorknobs, no postage stamps needed.
They're employees of Newport Beach-based PowerDirect, which is trying to
capitalize on rising postal rates and an aversion to junk mail by
delivering advertisements to homes themselves. His new delivery business
is sophisticated: He tracks his workers with global positioning systems
to make sure the door hangers are delivered to the right places and on
time, and he uses direct-mail targeting strategies to make sure the ads
are reaching people who might respond to them. Bill Borneman's, chief
executive of PowerDirect, company has 45 employees and revenue of around
$20 million. Borneman, who came from the direct-mail business, sees his
door hangers as a less-expensive alternative to mail — 5 cents a unit
cheaper, to be exact.
Bursa has reported that "The EBRD is providing Posta Romana with a
50 million EUR loan to finance the construction in Bucharest of the
country"s first fully automated sorting centre and the modernisation of
an existing sorting centre in Cluj. Up to 20 million EUR of the loan
will be syndicated to commercial banks. Posta Romana will also
contribute to this project with 10 million EUR of its own cash flow. The
construction of an automated sorting centre is a key element in the
modernisation of Posta Romana, which is facing increasing competition
following the liberalisation of the market in line with EU regulations
The
Los Angeles Daily
News has noted that "With cargo becoming increasingly difficult and
expensive to ship across the Southland, state officials are wrestling
with ways to ease the jam before it jeopardizes the region's economy.
With thousands of local jobs and billions of dollars in international
trade at stake, experts say California needs to quickly expand its
infrastructure or risk losing its reputation as the nation's gateway to
international trade."
Forbes has reported that "TNT NV said in a statement that an
independent study by the Boston Consulting Group has shown that its
cost-cutting plans for its TNT Post Dutch mail operations are 'sound and
necessary.'"
According to
The Times, "The dispute between the main postal union and Royal Mail
worsened yesterday after the postal group warned that it would not
increase a pay offer despite a vote by postal workers for strike
action."
CityWire has reported that "The Royal Mail, which operates a fleet
of more than 33,000 commercial delivery vehicles across the UK, has
ordered two zero-emission delivery vehicles from UK maker Tanfield Group
to try on routes in central London."
The
Calgary Sun has reported that "Canada Post has defeated a NAFTA
challenge from United Parcel Service of America Inc., that alleged the
Crown corporation engaged in unfair competition, bringing an end to a
seven year-old dispute between the two delivery companies. UPS, the
world’s largest package delivery firm, launched a claim for US$160
million against the Canadian government in April 2000 under the North
American Free Trade Agreement. UPS contended Canada Post has an unfair
advantage because its services such as Express Post and Priority Courier
draw on an infrastructure of sorting facilities, mailboxes and post
offices that private companies must provide for themselves. But Canada
Post CEO Moya Greene told the company’s annual meeting Tuesday that the
NAFTA tribunal hearing the challenge had dismissed it." See also the
Chronicle
Herald and the
Canada NewsWire.
June 12, 2007
IBN has reported that "The ‘Rocket Raja’ ad for Zapak mail promoted
by the Reliance Anil Ambani Group has antagonised postmen all over the
country. They say it portrays them as slow and inefficient and is a
false portrayal. "They did not ask us before they went ahead with the
ad. And they have depicted postal service providers in a wrong way,”
says Post Master General, Mumbai, A P Shrivastava. The postal department
reportedly made its objections known to the ADA Group, and there was
quick damage control from Zapak mail."
The
United States, Canada and Latin America can form the world's next great
trading bloc, but only if the various nations move quickly to improve
their transportation infrastructures and simplify customs requirements,
the
chief executive of UPS said today. "I believe that Latin America,
home to half-a-billion people south of the U.S.-Mexico border, has the
potential to be the next hotbed of trade and economic growth," UPS
Chairman and CEO Mike Eskew told participants at the U.S. Commerce
Department's inaugural Americas Competitiveness Forum.
On
Monday, June 11, the House Appropriations Committee ordered reported the
Fiscal Year 2008, Financial Services and General Government
Appropriations bill, after amending the measure to eliminate a $29
million Postal Service revenue forgone reimbursement. These funds were
transferred to the Small Business Administration account.
Press Release: "BCC Software, a BÖWE BELL + HOWELL company and a
leading developer of highperformance solutions for professional mailers,
is one of the first companies to be recognized by the United States
Postal Service ® as a Suite Link ™ Certified Software Distributor.
Because of this certification, and thanks to BCC’s status as a USPS ®
NCOA Link® Full Service Provider (FSP) Licensee, mailers now can enjoy
the benefits of Suite Link processing added to any mailing lists that
are submitted to BCC for NCOA Link FSP processing."
Dan G.
Blair, chairman of the Postal Regulatory Commission, announced today
the appointment of the Commission’s first inspector general, as required
by the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act of 2006. Jack
Callender, minority counsel to Ranking Member Tom Davis (R-VA) on the
U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Oversight and Government
Reform, has been selected as the first Inspector General of the Postal
Regulatory Commission, effective June 25, 2007. Callender has served on
the Government Reform Committee since 1999, and assisted the Committee
in the drafting and enactment of the Act.
From
the
Federal Register: "The U.S. Postal Service Board of Governors
will be holding a closed meeting on Tuesday, June 19 at 12 p.m. Among
the issues to be discussed: 1. Strategic Issues. 2.
Postal Regulatory Commission
Second Opinion and Recommended Decision on Reconsideration in Docket No.
R2006-1, Postal Rate and Fee Changes. 3.
Rate Case Update. 4.
Labor Negotiations Update. 5. Financial Update. 6. Personnel Matters and
Compensation Issues. 7. Governors' Executive Session--Discussion of
prior agenda items and Board Governance.
The
U.S. Postal Service has won two prestigious environmental awards —
one for a revenue-generating recycling program and another for an E-85
alternative fuel project. The White House Closing the Circle awards
recognize federal agencies for outstanding achievements that result in
significant contributions to the environment. These two awards represent
the thirty-sixth and thirty-seventh Closing the Circle awards the Postal
Service has won since 1995. In 2006, the total solid waste management
program recycled 8.6 million pounds of undeliverable mail, plastic film
and cardboard. This program also generated more than $203,000 in
revenue. And, the E-85 alternative-fuel usage project put 584
ethanol-capable vehicles on the road in Minnesota, resulting in a 65
percent increase in ethanol fuel use from 2003 to 2006.
As
DM News has noted, "A new study claims that, despite today's digital
world, consumers clearly prefer mail over other communications vehicles
such as e-mail for receiving new product information and offerings as
well as confidential business communications including bank statements
and financial reports. This was a key finding from a survey released
June 11 by International Communications Research. The study, the fourth
mail preference survey commissioned by Stamford, CT-based Pitney Bowes
since March 1999, found that the majority of consumers (73 percent)
prefer mail for receiving new product announcements or offers from
companies they do business with, as compared to 18 percent for e-mail.
Mail was also preferred by 70 percent of respondents for receiving
unsolicited information on products and services from companies with
which they are not currently doing business."
The
Guardian has reported that "The Communication Workers Union is
poised to call a series of one-day strikes unless Royal Mail reopens
talks over its pay and modernisation proposals. The union's postal
executive will meet tomorrow to discuss its tactics after a ballot of
127,000 members voted overwhelmingly last week in favour of industrial
action. If a strike does go ahead it will be Royal Mail's first national
stoppage for more than a decade. The union will have to give seven days'
warning of any action. Yesterday Royal Mail said it was prepared to talk
but held out little prospect of an improved offer."
IT-Director.com has reported that "The Post Office last week
launched ‘Payout', an electronic version of a postal order which allows
companies to send a barcode to a mobile phone. Although the service
offers participating companies savings (both in terms of cost and time)
on sending out cheques or printed barcodes, mobile payments specialist
Upaid doesn't believe ‘Payout' offers similar benefits to the general
public."
As
Business Week put it, "The result is more important than the speed
of the liberalisation, the German EU presidency has said, signalling
that some EU member states will get more time to open up the postal
services market than the 2009 deadline proposed by the European
Commission."
Press Release: "U.S. Postal Service employees are experiencing fewer
ergonomic injuries as a result of a 2003 partnership between the U.S.
Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration
(OSHA), the American Postal Workers Union (APWU), the National Postal
Mail Handlers Union (NMHU) and the U.S. Postal Service (USPS). The
organizations have released Examples of Good Ergonomics Practices at the
U.S. Postal Service which outlines the achievements of the partnership
and the steps taken to help prevent ergonomic-related injuries in the
workplace."
The Hindu has reported that "The Department of Posts on Monday
reduced local Speed Post charges for letters weighing up to 50 gm from
Rs. 20 to 12 (including service tax). The service will be available in
1,200 towns across the country. However, it has increased tariffs for
parcels."
Arab News has reported that "Saudi Post President Dr. Muhammad
Bantan signed an agreement yesterday with Jeddah Mayor Adel Fakieh to
unify postal addresses in Jeddah."
Gulf Times has reported that "Q-POST and Doha Bank yesterday signed
an agreement under which the post office would print, develop and
envelop the bank’s monthly statement to be delivered to its customers."
June 11, 2007
The
Associated Press has reported that "Two leading children's
publishers, Scholastic, Inc., and Disney, will soon discover whether the
laptop compares to the lap in the hearts of young readers. Scholastic is
officially launching BookFlix, an educational Web site pairing short
films based on popular picture books along with nonfiction e-books that
allow early readers to follow the text online."
From
Business Wire: "Pitney Bowes Inc. is sponsoring a DM News’ Webcast
on “Navigating the Postal Increase” on June 12th. The Webcast will offer
valuable information and tips on how companies can manage the recent
postal rate increases that went into effect in May. The recent postal
rate increase has affected mailers of all classes. Many have already
adapted to this new environment. But questions linger about the overall
effects of the rate hike on marketers who use the U.S. Postal Service
for their direct mail campaign and catalog efforts. When: Tuesday,
June 12, 2007, 2:00 to 3:00 p.m., EST Who: Panelists Elizabeth
Lombard, USPS rate specialist, Pitney Bowes; and Mike Plunkett, acting
vice president of pricing and classification, USPS Moderator: Melissa
Campanelli, deputy editor, DM News Where: Participants can register for
the event at www.dmnews.com
According to
Air
Cargo World, "a slowing American economy, high fuel prices, too much
capacity and slackening demand may collectively account for why UPS's
first quarter results and FedEx's fiscal third-quarter earnings were
relatively flat, particularly in the domestic business."
"What
Does Postal Reform Do?" is the latest in a series of papers by
National Academy of Public Administration fellow Murray B. Comarow.
Caribbean Net News has reported that "Delegate to Congress Donna
Christensen has asked US Postmaster General John Potter to institute a
new mailing system for the US Virgin Islands as the current system is
failing Virgin Islanders. In a letter to Potter, Christensen requested
that the territory "return to its former status of having its own postal
station, with its identity designated and visibly shown through our own
postal cancellation."
The
Financial Times has reported that "Royal Mail, which is rapidly
losing contracts for handling mail since the market was opened to
competition, should follow BT's example by splitting its postal
operation into two independent businesses."
Eyefortransport.com has reported that "Trans-O-Flex is further
reinforcing its European network EURODIS, with Slovakian company In Time
becoming a EURODIS partner at the beginning of this month. According to
Trans-O-Flex CEO Klaus Heinz, apart from the state-run postal service,
In Time Logistics is the second-biggest courier/express/parcels service
in Slovakia. Founded in 1990 in Bratislava, In Time Logistics has
belonged to the Austrian Post since 2002. The company’s ability to
handle combi-freight and hazardous goods makes it an attractive partner
for Trans-O-Flex."
The
Times of India has reported that "Overtime strike by around 500
group C and D employees of Railway Mail Service (RMS) in the ‘F’
division of Nagpur has badly affected the delivery of mail. The
employees, affiliated to National Federation Postal Employees (NFPE),
are up in arms against the management for going back on its assurances
to fulfill the genuine demands."
The
People's Daily has reported that "The Zambian government advised
Sunday the parastatal Zambia Telecommunications Limited (ZAMTEL) and
Zambia Postal Services Corporation (ZAMPOST) to be independent and
generate funds for their operations."
From
NewsReleaseWire: "Stopthejunkmail.com
has announced the launch of their new brand and web site for consumers
this week. The Boulder, CO-based company, founded in 2001, provides a
convenient and cost-effective way for subscribers to opt out of
receiving unsolicited postal junk mail. For a nominal fee,
stopthejunkmail.com removes subscriber information from mailing lists;
and through a partnership with American Forests Organization, plants a
tree in an effort to regenerate forests being depleted by junk mail
production. Stopthejunkmail.com’s mission is to help consumers eliminate
unwanted postal junk mail for the entire household or small business, to
reduce consumer frustration levels with the amount of unwanted junk mail
they receive, and to protect consumers’ privacy by reducing the number
of times their name and address is shared without their knowledge."
The
BBC has
reported that "The main postal workers' union is writing to Royal Mail
to call for fresh talks in an attempt to avoid the first national strike
in more than a decade. The Communication Workers Union (CWU) wants an
improved pay offer, and for Royal Mail to rethink its modernisation
plans, which the union claims will cost 40,000 jobs."
Transport Intelligence has reported that:
TNT Express has launched what it claims to be the industry's
fastest express delivery service in South East Asia. Termed the
'Emergency Express' service, it ensures that a customer's urgent
overseas shipment gets out on the first available flight, with 24X7
immediate response and pick-up. That service is available in all
major cities across Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore,
Thailand, Hong Kong, and Japan.
DHL has inaugurated a new five billion yen (US$41 million)
expanded facility at the Kansai International Airport.
The
Boston Globe has called it "one of the last relics of pre-Internet
life -- that little purgatory known as the line at the post office. Most
just endure the inconvenience, wondering why it often seems to take so
long, but sometimes frustrations spill over."
KOB.com
has reported that "The U.S. Postal Service could alleviate problems with
mail service in New Mexico by building a new postal plant on land it
owns in Albuquerque. So says the American Postal Workers Union."
According to The
Scotsman, "lost letters, delayed deliveries, personal mail left in
public areas. Are these the problems experienced by those living in
remote, rural areas where mail deliveries are a daily logistical
challenge for Royal Mail? No, they are the everyday woes of Royal Mail
customers in one of Scotland's most well-connected commercial centres."
The
World
Advertising Research Center has reported that "Britain's direct mail
industry is readying itself for a summer of disruption. Although a
national stoppage is unlikely, many mailers expect a series of
short-term strikes."
According to the
Exeter Express & Echo, "Postal staff are dedicated and hard-working.
New staff wonder what they have walked into and long-serving staff feel
genuinely upset and demoralised at the continual cost-cutting. Some
wonderfully dedicated people in the Post Office are struggling to cope
right now. The last three years have seen Mr Leighton's aspirations to
make Royal Mail "a great place to work" turn sour. Morale is at rock
bottom. Some two years ago, postal staff were told they were losing the
business £1m a day. The following year, everything was fine and dandy
and now this year the company is in dire straits again. But the mail
keeps on coming. More and more of it with less and less people to do the
work. Deliveries are affected and managers are having to perform
deliveries due to staff shortages. The other part of this problem is the
regulator. Set up to allow competition, it has put all postal services
under threat."
The
Canadian Press has reported that "Collectible hand grenades and
other suspicious munitions are still popping up at Canada's
mail-processing centres, months after they were banned by Canada Post.
Mail-sorting facilities have been evacuated at least eight times this
year because of these suspicious packages, putting staff in potential
danger while costing the postal system time and money."
June 10, 2007
PostInsight
has made available "Selected Presentations from CRRI (15th Conference on
Postal and Delivery Economics), 31 May–2 June 2007, Semmering, Austria -
June 5, 2007." See also (1) Two New PTS Reports: "The
Liberalized Swedish Postal Market" and "Presentation of Posten AB's
New Service Network" - June 7, 2007, (2)
The Needs
of Postal Users – Customer Survey 2006 (Postwatch, Postcomm & Royal
Mail) - June 6, 2007, (3)
Group La
Poste 2006 Company Highlights - June 6, 2007, and (4)
U.S. Flat Mail Market 2002-2006.
According to the
Examiner, "As a freshman congressman, Daniel Lipinski wanted to
ensure constituents knew what he was doing, but he rarely got mentioned
in Chicago news stories. So he spent $230,000 in taxpayers' money to get
his message across. The Illinois Democrat spent more than any other
member of the state's congressional delegation on mailings to
constituents during 2005-2006 through the use of "franking" privileges."
See also the
Chicago Sun-Times.
WZZM13 has reported that "The U.S. Postal Service says as many as 28
Battle Creek postal carriers were suspended without pay Wednesday over
allegations of improprieties at the local post office."
Mail & Guardian has reported that "From dating services to
stock-market listings, cellphones are changing the face of Kenya and
this newest service is forcing banks to re-evaluate their approach to
inhabitants of traditionally overlooked rural areas. More than 60% of
Kenyans have access to banks or microfinance institutions, but a
staggering 38% -– mostly living in rural areas -- are entirely unbanked,
according to data collected by Financial Sector Deepening Kenya (FSDK).
However, more than half the population either owns or has access to a
cellphone, generating a new means by which banking and financial
services could be provided, according to Safaricom's chief financial
officer Les Baillie. Even before the advent of M-Pesa, traditional
service providers -- such as banks, Western Union or the Kenyan postal
corporation's homegrown Postbank -- were often shrugged off in favour of
cheaper, informal means."
The
Vietnam News Agency has reported that "The nation’s postal service
will be reorganised under a plan approved by the Prime Minister earlier
this month. Under the plan, the Viet Nam Post and Telecommunications
Group (VNPT) would spin off the new Viet Nam Postal Corporation with a
total equity of over VND8 trillion (US$500 million), according to Deputy
Minister of Post and Telematics Nguyen Thanh Hung. The change would be
effected July 1. The move effects a larger strategy of separating two
sectors, postal services and telecommunications, which are now both
assumed by VNPT, said Hung."
June 9, 2007
Scripps News Service
has reported that "Rising postal costs and changes in what package
shippers allow are causing business owners to whittle down their mailing
lists, find cheaper ways to send products and rely more on communicating
electronically."
From
Business Wire: "Scott Cole & Associates announces on Friday, June 8,
2007, thousands of California United Parcel Service delivery drivers
will be excited when they open their mailboxes to see their portion of
the tens of millions of dollars paid out in settlement checks, checks
which represent payment for previously-uncompensated meal and rest
breaks they missed while working at UPS. Ending four years of intense
litigation, Scott Cole & Associates and its co-counsel negotiated the
unprecedented $87 million settlement which awards compensation to well
over ten thousand current and former UPS delivery employees as well as
extra "enhancement" awards to the lead plaintiffs in recognition of
their efforts in bringing this and the related case."
In
his latest to his members, National Association of Letter Carriers
President
William Young said that "As pleased as I was to hear NAPUS President
Dale Goff tell the subcommittee that “with contractors, you get what you
pay for,” and as thrilled as I was to hear NAPS President Ted Keating
declare that contracting out letter carrier work “will be the death of
the Postal Service,” I was flabbergasted by the President of the APWU.
He repeatedly— and hypocritically—lobbied the subcommittee not to take
legislative action, calling contracting out a “bargaining issue” best
left to the parties and to arbitration. That’s the same disingenuous
line being peddled by the USPS on Capitol Hill."
China Daily has reported that "China Post Group Corp sold 11 of its
star-rated hotels to a subsidiary of Hong Kong-based VXL Capital Ltd on
Friday, a major step toward getting rid of its non-core businesses."
The
Daily Post has reported that "Rotorua posties are refusing to
collect information about people who don't want junk mail. Like junk
mail hater Peter Wilson, they are concerned that New Zealand Post could
be collecting information to sell to its commercial partners. Postal
workers nationwide have been asked to record the addresses of NZ Post
customers who display "no junk mail" on their letterboxes to pass on to
its subsidiary circular distribution company The Letterbox Channel.
Posties suspect those customers will instead start receiving junk mail
via addressed envelopes."
The Times has reported that British "MPs condemned Royal Mail
yesterday for lacking imagination and entrepreneurial flair in the way
in which it manages its loss-making post office network. The Trade and
Industry Select Committee criticised the Government for not taking more
responsibility for looking after the network rather than leaving it to
Royal Mail." See also the
Financial Times,
Reuters,
The Guardian and the
BBC.
According to
The Mirror, "IT'S always good for a laugh when the bosses say
they'll do the workers' jobs if they go on strike. What they mean is -
for 10 minutes while the TV cameras are rolling. So I'm still smiling at
the threat by Allan Leighton, chairman of Royal Mail, to abandon his
desk for an early morning walk in the rain with a heavy bag over his
shoulder. To add insult to injury, Leighton is giving himself pounds
100,000 bonus on top of his monster salary, while his sidekick chief
executive Adam Crozier trousers an extra pounds 370,000, taking his
earnings to pounds 1 million."
The latest issue of
the PostCom Bulletin is available online. In this issue:
-
The world’s largest postal union and a group that represents nonprofit
organizations this week filed suit against Postal Service and Mailers
Technical Advisory Committee challenging the exclusivity of MTAC, which has
prohibited the two parties from participating in it, and alleging “secret
policy-making by a Postal Service advisory committee.”
-
In this perspective, Association for Postal Commerce VP Kate Muth says the
Postal Service needs to focus on what it can do to encourage business
mailers to stay in the mail and increase their use of it. She suggests the
USPS look at ways to make mailing easier for commercial mailers.
-
Direct mail consultant Cary Baer offers his thoughts on plummeting mail
volumes and the issues that are contributing to it.
-
USPS, postal supervisors testify about Chicago service problems. Postal
Service Inspector General semiannual report available online. PRC’s
temporary rate relief solution angers postal software firms. Harkin
introduces Senate bill to prohibit ‘contracting out’. USPS issues June DMM
Advisory Update. Rural letter carriers, Postal Service reach impasse in
contract talks. Senators concerned about hiring of temporary postal workers
in New Mexico. New labor union courting UPS workers.
-
Royal Mail facing CWU strike. TNT to sue over Royal Mail VAT exemption. End
to European postal monopolies to be debated – eternally? Strikes to oppose
end of monopoly fizzle.
-
Lane Press joins PostCom.
-
A list of upcoming postal-related events.
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