POSTAL NEWS
No 52-2020
Formulated by UNI AproPost and Logistics Sector
|
1.
Royal Mail: our UK business has not
adapted quickly enough to the changes in our marketplace. June 25, 2020
2. Postal Workers caravan delivers 2 million ‘Save USPS’ petitions to Washington.June 24, 2020.
3.
NZ Post plans to invest close to $170 million on
infrastructure - starting with a new Wellington ‘super’ depot for parcels.June
23, 2020.
4.
DHL Express to open new cargo facility
at Munich Airport.June 23,
2020.
5. The
Post with collaboration on festival t-shirts designed by MA $ ARATI. June 22,
2020.
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1. Royal Mail: Our UK business has not adapted quickly enough to the changes in our marketplace
June 25, 2020
Royal Mail has announced it will be making 2,000 job cuts in
order to save the business £130 million – around half of Royal Mail’s senior
leaders and most senior managers are expected to leave the Company in the next
few months.
Royal Mail also
revealed its financial results for the first two months of 2020-21:
·
Revenue was down by £29 million,
year-on-year
·
Addressed letter revenue was down 23%
·
Parcel volume and revenue growth of 37 % and 28
%, respectively
·
Total costs up £80 million, driven by
overtime and agency resource costs due to high levels of absence, social
distancing measures, protective equipment and parcel related volume costs.
·
Operating profit down £108 million, year on
year (including benefit of May 2019 election).
Keith Williams,
interim Executive Chair, Royal Mail Group, commented: “In recent years,
our UK business has not adapted quickly enough to the changes in our
marketplace of more parcels and fewer letters. COVID-19 has accelerated those
trends, presenting additional challenges.
“We are implementing
a three-step plan. Firstly, we’re taking immediate action on costs, which will
result in a £130 million saving in people costs next year and flat
non-people costs, along with a reduction of around £300 million in
capex across the Group over the next two years, to address the immediate impact
of COVID-19. Regrettably, we are also proposing a management restructure
impacting around 2,000 roles. We are committed to conducting the upcoming
consultation process carefully and sensitively. We will work closely with our
managers and their representatives during this difficult period, including
supporting them as they transition into the next stage in their careers.
“Secondly, we’re
accelerating the pace of operational change in the UK to address
long-standing challenges and be sustainable for the long term. Thirdly, we’re
working with all stakeholders to underpin the USO to ensure it reflects user
needs and is modern, contemporary and sustainable. We want to ensure Royal Mail
remains a key part of the UK economy, a good employer, and the
nation’s delivery partner of choice.
“At GLS, we are
capitalising on growth opportunities in parcels, protecting margin in the short
term with opportunities for margin expansion in the future. At the same time,
we are seeking to improve performance in key markets. We will focus investment
on growing markets, and improve cashflow.
“Royal Mail and GLS
are different businesses, with different strategies. At Royal Mail, our focus
is on a step change in transformation; at GLS we aim to continue to grow. Our
new structure brings more focus and accountability and whilst there are few
synergies today between Royal Mail and GLS, in the medium term an international
presence is clearly important, and the opportunity remains to create more value
for shareholders. Given the challenges of the current year, the Board does not
intend to pay any dividend in relation to 2020-21, but our ambition is to
re-commence dividend payments in 2021-22, supported by GLS.
“Finally, I’d like to
offer my profound thanks to all my colleagues across the Group.
Our UK postmen and women are playing a crucial role in mitigating the
impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. They are key workers on the frontline. Our GLS
colleagues have also gone the extra mile in the many countries in which they
operate to support their customers and communities.”
Source : https://postandparcel.info/123289/news/e-commerce
2. Postal Workers caravan delivers 2 million ‘Save USPS’ petitions to Washington
June 24, 2020
Snaking its way
from the Washington Navy Yard to the U.S. Senate, a caravan of cars driven by
Postal Workers delivered petitions with two million names on them, demanding
lawmakers enact the Heroes Act, including its $25 billion to save the U.S.
Postal Service from financial devastation the coronavirus has caused to its
revenues and potential subsequent collapse.
Led by Postal
Workers (APWU) President Mark Dimondstein, actor John “Bowser” Bauman, and
Rahna Epting, executive director of MoveOn, the caravan and its allies
delivered the petitions in huge white Express Mail cartons to the foot of
Capitol Hill.
Their objective during the “Save The Post Office Day Of
Action”: To pressure senators, especially the chamber’s ruling Republicans, to
override their kingpin, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and approve the
$3 trillion economic aid measure.
Caravanners appealed for continuing support from listeners and
viewers—on social media using the hashtag #SaveThePostOffice, by sending
messages on
the APWU’s website, or by calling senators toll free at 844-402-1001.
“The post office is literally under threat of running out of
money,” Dimondstein said. Repeating an argument he used before, he added, “The
Cares Act”—the prior $2 trillion aid bill Congress passed in
March—“generated over
$500 billion for private corporations, but nothing for the post office.
“And if the post office runs out of money, everything else
goes up for grabs in terms of service” to the entire nation, since it’s the
only delivery service that reaches everyone in the U.S., and cheaply—$0.55 for
a first-class letter—he added. That includes food, medicines, and absentee
ballots, he noted.
That latter item—ballots—highlights the particularly crucial
role of the post office in ensuring a fair and accessible election this
November. With COVID-19 still expected to be ravaging the nation by the fall,
the importance of vote-by-mail will only increase. The GOP under Trump have
targeted vote-by-mail as a threat to their re-election chances and are doing
everything possible to stop its expansion. That’s another important part of the
explanation for why the Republicans are determined to cripple the Postal
Service.
The $25 billion for the USPS in the Heroes Act would go only
to offset the crash in postal revenues the coronavirus caused, Dimondstein
said. It’s also a very small part of the bill.
Among other economic aid, the measure extends federal
unemployment benefits for millions of jobless workers through Jan. 31 and
provides $915 billion to keep state and local governments—including
schools—going while the nation combats the Depression caused by
anti-coronavirus shutdowns, social distancing, and other measures.
But McConnell is sitting on the bill, which the Democratic-run
House approved earlier this year. He calls it a “Democratic wish list.” His
opposition led the caravan out onto the streets of D.C., with similar
processions—all in vehicles to let drivers meet anti-coronavirus social distancing
standards—nationwide.
“The petitions can show you what people are passionate about,”
Epting explained. “Hundreds of thousands have signed and more hundreds of
thousands got stickers saying ‘We love the Postal Service.’”
The stickers are not the only evidence of wide support for
keeping the USPS up and running and its 630,000 workers (a heavy majority of
them unionists and many of them people of color, female, veterans, or a
combination) on the job.
Public opinion polls show 91% support, including majority
Republican support, for the Postal Service—especially in rural areas whose
residents depend on it for delivery of food, medicines, and other vital items
during the pandemic.
And 69% of respondents back the direct cash
no-strings-attached payment, which is what APWU, the Letter Carriers, the Mail
Handlers/Laborers, the AFL-CIO, Jobs With Justice, the Alliance for Retired
Americans, and other supporters advocate.
The USPS board, all named by GOP President Donald Trump, also
supports the aid, and has been very cooperative in providing personal
protective equipment (PPE), social distancing, and other measures to guard
against coronavirus spread among USPS workers, Dimondstein said. Nevertheless,
thousands have been sickened
and nearly 70 have died.
And while the
Trump-named board supports the cash, Trump doesn’t. He wants to dismantle the
USPS and turn it over to privatizers, several speakers said.
His Treasury
Secretary and chief coronavirus aid negotiator, Steve Mnuchin, demands that any
USPS aid depend on firing workers, closing post offices, ending Saturday
service, jacking up rates, and ripping up union contracts.
The twin
threats prompted other speakers to campaign for the no-strings-attached aid.
“The Postal
Service is considered the most essential enterprise in America, and it’s needed
now more than ever to overcome this pandemic,” said Letter Carriers President
Fredric Rolando. Since USPS deficits “have soared into the billions” due to a
50% decline in money-making first-class mail, “the Senate leadership must step
up and send a clear signal to the entire country” that it supports USPS and its
workers, by passing the Heroes Act.
“I live in a
small community in Southern New Jersey,” JWJ Executive Director Erica Smiley
explained. She telecommutes to her job, but her neighbors “depend on the Postal
Service for medicines, food, and often personal contact” when quarantined by
the coronavirus. The $25 billion “is an opportunity to fully invest in a public
Postal Service.”
AFL-CIO President Richard
Trumka coupled his support of the money for the USPS with a direct shot at
Trump, though not by name. “The USPS works at serving us, but they’re under
attack not just from the virus, but from their own government,” he said of
Trump’s destruction scheme. “Why is our president trying to drive the agency
into oblivion? It’s ideology. It’s privatization…and it’s shameful.”
Source : https://www.peoplesworld.org/article
3. NZ Post plans to invest close to $170 million on infrastructure - starting with a new Wellington ‘super’ depot for parcels
June
23,2020
The
investment programme begins with construction of a new ‘super depot’ for
parcels, in Grenada, Wellington. The programme also includes a new processing
centre in Wiri, Auckland, due to open in 2023, and an upgrade to the Southern
Operations Centre in Christchurch in 2022.
The
Wellington super depot is due to open in 2022. NZ Post plans to invest around
$18 million in the latest global technology that will sort and scan parcels at
a much faster rate than what we have now.
“We
know that customers really want complete visibility of where their parcel is at
all times of its journey – and this technology will improve our ability to do
this,” says NZ Post Chief Executive, David Walsh. “We’re making this multi
million dollar investment to support New Zealand businesses – both growing new
businesses as well as major ecommerce giants.
“NZ
Post is forecasting significant growth in the amount New Zealanders will buy online
in the next decade – this was before the explosion in online shopping during
the COVID-19 period. Last year online shopping in New Zealand grew 13% with
almost 50% of adult New Zealanders now shopping online, and we are expecting
this growth to continue. We’re pleased to be able to invest confidently in our
future, to meet the growth in online shopping.
“The
depot will have a 10440 square metre processing floor - about the size of a
rugby field - with plenty of room for processing New Zealanders’ parcels.
“We
are proud to be contributing to the Wellington regional economy over the next
two years, with the projects main contractors, Aspec Construction Wellington
LTD, expecting to employ around 350 people through 60 sub-contractors on this
project,” says Ash Pama, the property owners’ representative.
During
the COVID lockdown period, NZ Post received over 3.5 million parcels in the
first two weeks of Alert Level 3. It had been planning for this quantity of
parcels in 2023.
Supporting
our commitment to be carbon neutral from 2030, the Wellington super depot will
incorporate a range of environmentally sustainable design features and has also
been designed to accommodate a large solar power installation once battery
technology makes this a viable option for our operation.
4. DHL Express to open new cargo facility at Munich Airport
June
23, 2020
DHL
Express Germany is planning to build a new cargo facility, covering more than
8,000 sq m, at Munich Airport.
Construction
of the €70m new facility is scheduled to commence in 2022.
DHL
Express said the new facility is being planned and constructed after it saw an
increase in import and export volumes at the Munich hub.
Currently,
DHL Express rents hall space at the cargo center at Munich Airport. With the
new agreement, which was signed digitally in light of Covid-19 restrictions,
DHL Express said it will lease the land from Munich Airport in order to plan,
build and operate the new building.
The
new gateway, which is DHL Express said “will obtain the globally
recognized TAPA Class A certification”, will have direct airside access and two
“PUD” (pick-up and delivery) fingers, enabling up to 65 delivery vehicles to be
dispatched there.
Markus
Reckling, managing director of DHL Express Germany, commented: “The existing
building could not keep up with this growth. After modernizing and expanding
our service center in Unterschleißheim for €13m last year already, the
construction of our new gateway at the airport is the next step in the
infrastructure plan with which we are clearly committing to our presence in the
Munich region.
“Even
in the currently difficult economic situation, we are continuing to invest
systematically in service for our customers, which is our top priority.”
Munich
Airport chief executive Jost Lammers has welcomed DHL Express’s decision to
focus systematically on growth at Munich Airport. He said: “Particularly in
these very difficult times for the aviation industry, this sends an important
signal and is a strong proof of confidence in Munich as a business location.
The increased commitment of DHL Express will sharpen our profile as a logistics
location and create significant stimulation for air freight traffic.”
Source
: https://www.aircargonews.net/
5. The Post with collaboration on festival t-shirts designed by MA $ ARATI
June 22 ,
2020
In the absence of the festival summer, Posten launches festival merch together with the artist MA $ ARATI. Five Norwegian artists will receive their specially designed Limited Edition t-shirts, which will go on sale in the coming weeks.
The festival summer means a lot to people. When this is ripped off by a virus, it's nice to take up the fight and still create something good, says MA $ ARATI - or Mathias Nordby as he really is called.
MA $ ARATI is internationally recognized for its art, clothing design and tattoos, and makes, among other things, clothing for some of the world's most famous rappers. The 29-year-old from Hamar has a distinctive style and is often referred to as an artist who is impossible to place in booths.
This spring he designed five unique t-shirts for five Norwegian artists from his studio at Fornebu - OnklP, Isah, Gabrielle, Highasakite and Matoma. The T-shirts come in limited edition and will be sold according to the "first come, first served" principle.
Proud of the project
Posten, who is behind the project, has been looking forward to showing what MA $ ARATI and the artists have been working on in recent months.
When there are no festivals, there will at least be merch! The artists who were to perform
at Norwegian festivals this summer had been looking forward, and we at Posten as a sponsor at several festivals had been looking forward to meeting the audience. The plan was to offer easy home delivery of merch directly from the festivals. That was not the case. But when something disappears it gives room for new things to emerge, says Monica Solberg, Marketing Manager at Posten.
We have chosen to collaborate with MA $ ARATI because he is an artist out of the ordinary, who engages both trendsetters and heavyweights in the hip-hop and pop culture. These are young people who shop a lot online, and thus constitute an important target group for Norway Post going forward, says Solberg.
Different summer
The five Norwegian artists have yet to see their specially designed t-shirts and are, to put it mildly, excited to "unbox" the garments.
It is an honor that Mathias designed a t-shirt just for me. And very cool that Norway Post took the initiative for the project. I am eagerly looking forward to opening the box, and if it gets really good I will probably buy some extra, says OnklP.
Source : https://www.postennorge.no/presse/arkiv/3015251
POSTAL NEWS
No 51-2020
Formulated by UNI AproPost and Logistics Sector
|
1. Amazon to
build new facilities in Australia as online demand surges: AFR.June 25, 2020.
2. The services of bpost during the lockdown, growth poles and guaranteed stability for the customers. June 24, 2020.
3. MaltaPost
to Accept Encashment of all Central Bank of Malta Cheques at its Post Offices. June 23, 2020.
4.
Singpost reopens all post offices. June 22, 2020.
5. Foodsters
vote results: History made, and a sign of things to come. June 22, 2020.
|
1. Amazon to build new facilities in Australia as online demand surges: AFR
June
25, 2020
Retail giant Amazon
Inc (AMZN.O)
is expanding its Australian operations with plans to build a warehouse in
Sydney and is also scouting locations for a giant facility in Melbourne, the
Australian Financial Review reported on Thursday.
An Amazon spokeswoman
declined to comment on ‘speculations or our future plans.’
In a separate stock
exchange filing, Australia’s Brickworks Ltd (BKW.AX) said it was
in ‘advanced discussions’ with a customer for a warehouse development near
Sydney through a 50-50 joint venture with industrial property giant Goodman
Group (GMG.AX).
Brickworks, which has
an industrial property division, did not name the ‘major client.’
CEO Lindsay Partridge
told Reuters in an interview Brickworks’ industrial property business has been
doing well with rental receipts “still coming in strongly.”
“We have the Coles (COL.AX) warehouse
which has been announced to build and we are in advanced discussion with
another major client,” he said.
When asked if he was referring to Amazon,
Partridge said “that’s the speculation.”
Amazon’s reported expansion plans come on the
back of surging online sales as consumers shift to e-tailing due to the
COVID-19 pandemic.
Just two weeks ago, Amazon had announced the
opening of its first Queensland fulfilment centre in Brisbane later this year.
The company currently has three fulfilment centres in Australia, based in
Sydney, Melbourne and Perth.
2. The services of bpost during the lockdown, growth poles and guaranteed stability for the customers
June 24, 2020
During the entire lockdown period, Belgian society shifted
into gear, yet all citizens could continue to count on the stability of the
services of all bpost networks, from postmen to post offices, post points,
parcel points and parcel lockers.
Thanks to these growing networks, bpost can meet all customer
requests and expectations, they always find a bpost point in their area.
With their support, at peak times in March, April and May,
bpost was able to process and deliver more than 500,000 parcels a day, double
the number in the same period in 2019.
An exceptional result achieved thanks to the efforts of all
employees at bpost and its partners.
·
The postmen continued
to deliver parcels, newspapers, magazines, pensions and mail to our compatriots
every day, taking into account all necessary safety measures.
·
100% of the post offices were
always available to customers thanks to an adjustment in opening hours and the
commitment of all staff. During the three-month stringent lockdown (March,
April and May), post offices recorded an exceptional 70% increase
in the number of parcels delivered by customers at the counters,
compared to the same period in 2019.
·
90% of the 660 postal points continued
to welcome and assist customers, representing an increase of
nearly 40% in the number of parcels issued. The presence of
a postal point is a real commercial and economic opportunity for partner
traders. In addition, 80% of them confirm that they would choose bpost
again to introduce this type of service.
·
The 750 Kariboo!
Points that were renamed “ parcel points ” in
early May have also been widely used since mid-March. Compared to the
average for the months of January and February 2020, the number of parcels
issued increased by 37% in the period March / April
/ May.
Parcel lockers are enjoying growing success
Finally, the 250 Cubee vending
machines also underwent a transformation in May: their name changed to “ parcel
vending machines ”. bpost will install around 100 additional
parcel lockers by the end of the year, representing an average of
2 new vending machines per week .
This growth is the result of the increasing success of these
machines for the delivery and shipping of parcels to customers who like to use
them because they are close and easily accessible (7 days a week, 24 hours a
day) and because their impact on the environment is small. This success
was confirmed in recent months, because the number of parcels delivered in the
machines almost doubled!
Source :https://press.bpost.be/
3. MaltaPost to Accept Encashment of all Central Bank of Malta Cheques at its Post Offices
June 23,2020
With immediate effect, all Post
Offices offering full services will be at the general public's disposal to
encash all cheques issued by the Central Bank of Malta.
MaltaPost would like to remind
its clients that Post Offices are open for business as usual maintaining the
normal working hours.
With a Post Office in most
localities in Malta and Gozo, postal services are available to clients provided
they continue to abide by our standard safety measures together with all
recommended social distancing measures.
Aside from postal services, our
Post Offices also retail a great variety of items for the customer's home or
office. These include postage stamps, philatelic items, One4All gift vouchers,
telephone & mobile cards and a wide range of stationery and greeting cards.
For further information about
the Post Offices and their locations and opening hours please visit www.maltapost.com/outlets.
Source :https://www.maltapost.com/news
4. Singpost reopens all post offices
June 22, 2020
SingPost has reopened all its post offices on Friday – except the
one at Changi Airport’s Terminal 2 – as the nation enters Phase Two of its
lockdown easing, reports The Business Times.
The post office at
the airport will be relocated and reopened at a later date as the terminal
has been closed for refurbishment works since May 1.The post offices will
resume their regular opening hours. SingPost’s Philatelic Store@GPO will also
resume operations from Friday.
Safe-distancing
measures will continue to be enforced at the post offices, including
temperature taking, capacity control, and the use of SafeEntry to record
visitor details, SingPost said.
5. Foodsters vote results: History made, and a sign of things to come
June
22, 2020
It’s been 13 months since the
Justice for Foodora Couriers organizing drive went public, and together we have
achieved so much in this short period of time. The campaign went through
awareness raising and recruiting; certification application; surviving and countering
an anti-union campaign by Foodora, a representation vote, and a battle before
the OLRB (Ontario
Labour Relations Board) with international
support and collaboration with other unions.
In an April 30 bulletin https://www.cupw.ca/en/cupw-reacts-foodora-cut-and-run we
looked back on the campaign up to that point.
The hardship fund
continues to grow, and the couriers are still organized and working together to
take collective control of their future. Foodora Canada has folded but there
are still options for Foodsters United to work together as a union – options
they're currently exploring.
What's New
The biggest news of all is that the OLRB
accepted our request to count the votes from workers whose eligibility to vote
was uncontested by the parties. Those ballots counted 88.8% in favour of
joining CUPW (Canadian Union of Postal Workers), leaving not enough uncounted
ballots to change the result. The voice of the couriers is clear, and
consistent with what the campaign and all our allies have been saying all
along: Gig workers demand rights and they know unionization is the way to get
them.
The organizing drive had an impact on
Delivery Hero's international brands, especially Foodora. Customers and workers
won't support a model that isn't rooted in respectful and safe working
conditions. It's one more indication of hope for gig workers globally.
What it Means
Before Justice for Foodora Couriers and its
gains, gig economy employers thought they could ignore workers' rights and
misclassify workers to take advantage of loopholes in our labour laws. We've
showed them, step by step, that they were mistaken. In the long run, the gig
economy can only work if employers show respect and accept their
responsibilities as employers.
Gig work around the world must, and will, be
organized. There will be more legal challenges, since our current labour law
framework does not properly embrace informal or semi-formal employment. But
when the workers have the will to organize, we know they will fix the system
and force legislation to catch up.
It's about all of us
Remember that it's not just app-based
services who are undercutting worker rights with automation, increased
flexibility, and increasing isolation and atomization of workers. Employers,
including Canada Post, are attracted to shortcuts and anything that cheapens
their labour costs by setting workers to compete against each other. Poor
working conditions and wages in any logistics workplace threaten to lower the
standards for all of us. We have to push back, and show that working conditions
must be just. CUPW is proud to be a leading force in this global effort.