POSTAL NEWS
No 29-2019
Formulated by UNI Apro Post and Logistics Sector
Starship Technologies celebrates 50,000 autonomous deliveries. April 10, 2019.
Correos Invests €11 Million In Its First International Acquisition. April 9, 2019.
Start building of a new parcel sorting centre of PostNL in Tilburg. April 8, 2019.
Austrian Post Takes An Important Step In Creating A New Financial Services Offering. April 8, 2019.
Meet The New Boss; Same As The Old Boss? April 5, 2019.
Japan Post to sell up to 30% of outstanding shares in its insurance unit. April 5, 2019
Starship Technologies celebrates 50,000 autonomous deliveries
April 10, 2019
Starship Technologies has passed the major milestone of 50,000 commercial deliveries.
The company’s robots have made deliveries in over 100 cities around the world, operating commercially every day in local neighborhoods and university and corporate campuses across five different time zones.
In April 2018, the company began delivering groceries and items from a Co-op food store in Milton Keynes, UK, to residents’ front doors. Since then, Starship’s global fleet of robots has not only surpassed 50,000 commercial deliveries but has now traveled over 200,000 miles across the globe.
Using Starship’s delivery service means residents don’t have to worry about driving to the shop to pick up their groceries, which not only saves them time and provides convenience, but also reduces congestion and pollution. To date, Starship’s delivery service in Milton Keynes has eliminated tens of thousands of unnecessary car journeys. The most popular items ordered in the last year include milk, bread and chocolate.
The growth in popularity of Starship’s service has also seen the company announce a new partnership with a second Co-op store in Milton Keynes, adding to the delivery service also offered from a Tesco store in the town.
Lex Bayer, CEO of Starship Technologies, said, “Today is a significant milestone for Starship as we celebrate passing 50,000 deliveries with our autonomous robots. The popularity of our service continues, and we are delighted to be expanding to additional neighborhoods and university campuses across the world.
“It has been exciting to see the increase in ‘top up shopping’ by residents in Milton Keynes where they buy groceries on multiple occasions throughout the week now that they have the option of autonomous delivery.”
Chris Conway, head of digital and e-commerce, retail, at Co-op, said, “This is an exciting time for the Co-op, with innovations and new technologies driving a number of different home delivery schemes. It is all about ease, convenience and choice for today’s time-pressed shopper.
“The popularity of our work with Starship is clear to see in Milton Keynes, with children leaving messages and drawings with the robots, and expressions of thanks from members of the community.”
This news in the UK follows significant expansion for Starship in the USA, where last month the company brought its autonomous delivery services to Northern Arizona University, following a launch at George Mason University campus in Fairfax, Virginia, in January 2019.
Source : https://www.parcelandpostaltechnologyinternational.com/news/delivery
Correos Invests €11 Million In Its First International Acquisition
April 9, 2019
The Correos Group, through its subsidiary Correos Express, has acquired a 51% stake in the Portuguese Group Rangel Expresso and has established Correos Express Portugal.
The acquisition was worth €11 million and will enable Correos, headquartered in Spain, to provide integrated express shipping service to customers and enterprises in the Iberian Peninsula within a 24-hour timeframe. It represents the company’s first international expansion.
Correos Express Portugal has approximately 12 facilities and will employ around 160 people. It will act as a subsidiary of Correos Express and its facilities will be added to Correos Express’ existing network of 55 facilities in Spain.
Through the newly formed subsidiary, Correos Express Portugal, Correos plans to tap into Portugal’s e-commerce market. The Correos Group estimates that in the next five years it will deliver around 35 million parcels, with Spain as the starting point and the final destination,and expects sales growth of 150% or €60 million. Correos Express Portugal is planning to automate its facilities by using artificial intelligence platforms and automated sorting machines.
Source : https://postandparcel.info/103798/news/e-commerce
Start building of a new parcel sorting centre of PostNL in Tilburg
8 April 2019
The Hague, 8 april 2019 – Together with local organisations, PostNL celebrated the start of the building of a new parcel sorting at the Ledeboerstraat in Tilburg on 8 April. Alderman Berend de Vries and Iris van Wees, operations manager of PostNL Pakketten, together symbolically laid the foundation stone for the sustainable new premises. The new location in Tilburg helps to increase the capacity for sorting and distributing parcels.
Iris van Wees, operations manager of PostNL Pakketten: ‘The convenience of online shopping has been completely embraced by the consumer. Many webshops have chosen PostNL for sorting and delivering their parcels and we are very proud of this. This year PostNL will open three new parcel sorting centres in the Netherlands to optimally organise the growing parcel market, including these sustainable premises in Tilburg.’
Berend de Vries, alderman for Economic Affairs in Tilburg: ‘Tilburg and Waalwijk are leader in logistics and in particular in online shopping. It is therefore good that an important player on this market will also build a sorting centre in our city. Besides extra employment, it will also be a fine addition to our logistical ecosystem.’
Marco van der Laan, director of construction company Aan de Stegge Twello: "We are very proud that after a series of parcel sorting centers we already realized for PostNL we again may realize a new parcel sorting center. This shows mutual trust and good cooperation.”
BREEAM certificate
PostNL intends to obtain the BREEAM certificate 'Outstanding' for this parcel sorting centre. For this purpose PostNL is investing in the most sustainable materials, the installation of solar panels and waste heat recovery systems. In addition, the premises will be free of gas. This makes these premises one of the most sustainable premises.
Expansion logistical network
This new PostNL location in Tilburg will be part of a network which currently consists of in total 22 parcel sorting centres in the Netherlands and six locations in Belgium. From these locations the parcel deliverers will deliver parcels seven days a week everywhere in the Netherlands and Belgium. PostNL will open three new parcel sorting centres in the Netherlands in 2019, including this location in Tilburg.
Good for the region
This parcel sorting centre is good for the region: it offers employment for about 400 persons. The parcel sorting centre will become operational this autumn and parcels from there will be delivered in and around Tilburg, for example in Waalwijk, Boxtel, Rijen, Hilvarenbeek and Reusel.
Source : https://www.postnl.nl/en/about-postnl/press-news/news/2019
Austrian Post Takes An Important Step In Creating A New Financial Services Offering
April 8, 2019
Austrian Post and GRAWE Banking Group have agreed to enter into a partnership with Austria.
80% of Brüll Kallmus Bank AG, part of the GRAWE Banking Group, by means of a capital increase and thus assumes control of the company. Ownership control procedures were initiated today with the European Central Bank (ECB) through the Austrian Financial Market Authority (FMA). Subject to regulatory approval, Austrian Post will contribute about EUR 56m within the context of a capital increase. In this way, the legal foundation for creating an independent service offering will be created.
This partnership bundles the sales of Austrian Post with the banking and insurance know-how of the GRAWE Group. According to plan, financial services will be offered in the course of the year 2020. The underlying objective is to present both online and physical. The Austrian Post network of 1,800 postal services points.
As it has until now, Austrian Post would like to continue offering nationwide financial services throughout Austria to its customers. The business model is intended to be focused on risk-averse and focus on services related to bank accounts and payment transactions.
Financial services of other partners wants round off the product portfolio. Information on the precise service offering and the market presence will be disclosed in due time.
Austrian Post Expects start-up costs over the first three years within the context of developing a new offering of financial services and positive earnings contributions thereafter.
Source : https://www.post.at/footer_ueber_uns_presse.php/presse
Meet The New Boss; Same As The Old Boss?
April 5 2019
Recently, a new CEO of Canada Post was appointed. Doug Ettinger replaces interim CEO, Jessica McDonald, who will remain as Chair of the Board at Canada Post. CUPW met with Mr. Ettinger for the first time last week. A wide range of issues were discussed, but no commitments were made.
Mr. Ettinger claims that one of his top priorities is improving labour relations at Canada Post. We’ve heard this talk before. His predecessor made the same type of conciliatory remarks in public, but in practice continued with the same anti-worker policies. McDonald talked a good game, but at the end of the day, she was not willing to settle pay equity for RSMCs, to deal with urgent health and safety issues, and to treat workers with respect.
Ms. McDonald’s brief stint as CEO was marked with dishonesty. Will Mr. Ettinger’s be the same? Time will tell.
Postal workers are not stupid. We will not be fooled by empty promises. It will take more than nice words to solve the issues workers at Canada Post are facing. The injury crisis continues, RSMCs are still not being paid for all hours worked, and long routes, overburdening and overtime remain the norm at Canada Post.
It’s nice to hear that Mr. Ettinger wants to improve the relationship with the union. We would like to be treated with respect. We would like our issues to be taken seriously. But talking points will not solve problems.
Our simple message to the new CEO is this: direct your negotiators to get back to the bargaining table and negotiate collective agreements with CUPW. There is nothing in the back-to-work legislation that prevents the parties from negotiating agreements at any time. So what are we waiting for?
Our rights have been violated. We are living under unconstitutional legislation, going through an arbitration process that threatens to impose contracts on postal workers, denying us the right to vote on our own working conditions. If Mr. Ettinger has any respect for his workforce, he will not let that happen.
Source : https://www.cupw.ca/en
Japan Post to sell up to 30% of outstanding shares in its insurance unit
April 5, 2019
Masatsugu Nagato, president and chief executive officer of Japan Post Holdings Co., speaks during the Bloomberg Year Ahead summit in Tokyo on Dec. 6, 2018. | BLOOMBERG
Japan Post Holdings Co. said Thursday that it will sell up to 30 percent of its outstanding shares in subsidiary Japan Post Insurance Co. by the end of this month.
The value of the sale of up to 185 million shares will reach ¥440 billion based on the insurer’s share price Thursday on the first section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange.
Japan Post Insurance said the same day that it will buy back its own shares worth up to ¥100 billion between Monday and April 12.
Japan Post Holdings’ stake in the unit is expected to fall to about 65 percent.
The company plans to use the proceeds from the share sale for strategic investment to boost the group’s corporate value, officials said.
Japan Post Holdings is expected to use part of the funds to acquire a stake in U.S. insurance giant Aflac Inc. later this year, informed sources said. The postal service holding company announced the investment plan in December.
Japan Post Holdings plans to sell all of its equity stakes in Japan Post Insurance and another key financial unit, Japan Post Bank, based on the postal privatization law. It initially aims to lower the stakes to about 50 percent.
The planned partial sale of Japan Post Insurance shares is also believed to be aimed at demonstrating the progress in the privatization process of the country’s postal services and fending off criticism from the insurance industry that the group is pressuring private-sector businesses.
Source : https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2019/04/05/business/corporate-business
POSTAL NEWS
No 30-2019
Formulated by UNI Apro Post and Logistics Sector
DHL Launches Service For International Shipment Of Small Goods. April 11, 2019.
Homeless get personal lockers and mailboxes at key Salvation Army site in Melbourne CBD. April 10, 2019.
UPU issues statement on postal remuneration rate. April 10, 2019.
APWU Enters Mediation. April 9, 2019.
Automated returns. Making USPS more competitive in package market. April 8, 2019.
DHL Launches Service For International Shipment Of Small Goods
April 11, 2019
On 15 April, 2019, DHL will launch DHL Päckchen XS International, a new product for private customers wishing to ship small parcels that weigh up to 2 kilograms and are within specified size limits.
The price is €4.89 to other EU countries and €8.89 to all other countries. The DHL Päckchen XS will complement the existing product range for larger-format international packages and parcels.
Shipping labels for the DHL Päckchen XS will be available from April 15, 2019, through DHL’s online franking service, the DHL app or the online franking service in the Deutsche Post shop. The parcels can be dropped off at the more than 28,000 parcel drop-off points throughout Germany, including Deutsche Post retail outlets, DHL Paketshops, DHL Packstations and DHL Paketboxes.
Effective January 1, 2019, Deutsche Post changed its general terms and conditions to prohibit the shipment of goods in international letters. In doing so, Deutsche Post implemented the Universal Postal Union’s division of international letter content into goods and documents and took the first steps to meet customs- and security-related demands from a growing number of countries for electronic registration of shipments that contain goods.
For private customers, DHL offers its DHL Päckchen and DHL Paket products for international shipments of goods as they already satisfy these requirements in the online sector.
Source: https://postandparcel.info/103843/news/parcel
Homeless get personal lockers and mailboxes at key Salvation Army site in Melbourne CBD
April 10, 2019
Rough sleepers in the CBD will have access to hundreds of personal lockers and mailboxes under a joint effort by government and private sectors to help the most vulnerable.
More than 150 lockers and about 170 mailboxes have been installed at the Salvation Army’s Project 614 centre in Bourke St, where most of the city’s homeless gather.
Australia Post, Collingwood Football Club and the City of Melbourne drove the initiative, which was delayed for several months due to heritage issues affecting works done at the Salvos building.
Australia Post chief executive officer Christine Holgate said the idea came from staff members who saw the plight of the homeless first-hand when going in and out of the organisation’s Bourke St headquarters.
“When you do have these people on your doorstep, it’s a really good community thing to do, these are our neighbours,” she said.
“They need a safe place to store things, they have to carry their belongings with them all the time.”
Ms Holgate said that letters sent to people with no fixed address could only be received via a single box at a nearby post office.
“Personal onsite mailboxes enable people in special circumstances to re-establish connections with family and friends, government and financial services, and accommodation, in a safe and secure place,” she said.
Lord Mayor Sally Capp, who included lockers for the homeless in her election manifesto, said rough sleepers often had nowhere to store their stuff.
“This often can mean people are left with no choice but to leave items on the street where it’s at risk of being stolen or collected with rubbish,” she said.
Collingwood president Eddie McGuire said it was very hard getting back on your feet after losing touch with friends, family and basic services.
“What these new facilities offer is a connection; a way for those in need to reconnect or
stay connected with the community and the avenues to assistance they might require,” he said.
Salvation Army Major Brendan Nottle praised the way problems were solved in the city through co-operation involving business, police, community groups, government and the broader community.
Source : https://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria
UPU issues statement on postal remuneration rates
April 10, 2019
Today, the Second Committee (Universal Service Obligation, Regulatory Affairs, and Postal Regulation) of the UPU’s Council of Administration, the body responsible for ensuring the continuity of the UPU’s work between Congresses, reviewed options for revising the present postal remuneration system.
The three options before the committee were as follows: 1) To allow member countries to self-declare postal rates; 2) To accelerate rate increases already approved by the UPU; and 3) A convergence option that also adopts self-declared rates as its basis, but with elements aimed at mitigating undue price impacts.
After discussion, the Second Committee agreed to put all three options forward for voting and will ballot member countries on whether these options will be decided by an Extraordinary Congress to be held on 23-24 September, or by postal ballot.
In a statement issued afterwards, the Director General of the UPU Bishar A. Hussein said, “Today’s decision is the outcome of a wide ranging discussion that began in October last year involving every possible UPU stakeholder, including member countries. Every voice has been heard, and every possible view discussed.”
Mr. Hussein added, “This decision will allow all member countries to vote on this essential matter at either an Extraordinary Congress or a vote by postal ballot. I look forward to working with every member country as we go forward to ensure that we do what is best for the Union, the consumer, and the international postal system.”
Background:
The purpose of the UPU remuneration systems is to compensate the designated operators of destination countries for the cost of handling, transporting and delivering postal items from abroad. Although the relationship between the UPU remuneration systems and postage is indirect, the UPU remuneration rate does constitute a major cost component that needs to be taken into consideration by the sending designated operator when it receives, processes and dispatches a postal item sent to an addressee residing in another country.
Source : http://news.upu.int/no_cache/nd
APWU Enters Mediation
April 9, 2019
In our continuing efforts to get the contract the members deserve, the APWU invoked mediation on April 3, 2019 – sending a letter to the Acting Director of the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service and to the Postal Service. The Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS) is a federal agency that provides public and private-sector labor-management mediation, and by law it is responsible for facilitating the APWU’s demand for mediation with the Postal Service.
In mediation a neutral expert with the experience and training to develop information about the parties, their industry, and their issues will help them look for common ground
towards reaching agreement. A mediator may offer suggestions and recommendations to either or both sides, but does not have the authority to impose a settlement, set contract terms, or require that the parties end mediation with any kind of agreement. The process is expected to take approximately forty-five (45) days.
Even when mediation fails to get a total resolution, this step may help narrow and focus disputes. Such narrowing of some disputes could make interest arbitration more successful for the members.
As the mediation process moves forward, the APWU national officers, members from the field, legal counsel, and staff members are working daily in preparation for interest arbitration. Internal meetings are occurring and will continue on a regularly scheduled basis. Craft officers, the core committee, the Industrial Relations Department, and the President are developing persuasive evidence and arguments, concerning your work and the appropriate compensation for your service, to present to the Postal Service and to an arbitrator.
“Mediation is just another one of the APWU’s efforts to ensure that no stone is left unturned in our continuing battle to get the members what they deserve in their next contract,” said Industrial Relations Director Vance Zimmerman.
“Management’s recent final proposal showed their disrespect for the hard work of the postal workers by demanding a new 4th tier of employees with lower pay, fewer benefits, less leave, no cost-of-living increases, limited lump sum pay increases for current employees, and the threat of layoffs,” President Mark Dimondstein said. “This next step in the process is one more tool we can utilize to help get the workers of today—and tomorrow—the wages, benefits, and work environment they deserve. We truly are fighting today for a better tomorrow.”
Source : https://www.postaltimes.com/postalnews
Automated returns. Making USPS more competitive in package market
April 8, 2019
The Postal Service has implemented USPS Returns for business mailers, the first phase of a new package platform for automating postage assessment, sampling and payment.
USPS Returns uses recent mail processing equipment upgrades to streamline package weighing, measuring, scanning and payment calculations. The platform also allows customers to be charged electronically through their Enterprise Payment System accounts, expediting the secure payment process.
USPS Returns is replacing the manual postage payment steps for Merchandise Return Service, scan-based payment for returns, and scan-weigh-pay package return processes.
“The new technology brings more simplicity, efficiency and transparency for the customer than ever before,” said Marc McCrery, acting mail entry and payment technology vice president at Postal Service headquarters in Washington, DC.
USPS Returns also:
Allows shippers to credit their customers sooner for returned merchandise
Positions USPS to handle predicted package volume growth
Makes it easier to serve customers regardless of size
The platform is part of the Postal Service’s efforts to capture a greater share of the package market, which processes 14.4 billion parcels per year and boasts $89 billion in annual revenue.
The platform fits with two core USPS strategies: to innovate and to invest in the future.
The next phase of the implementation will shift outbound parcels onto the platform, beginning later this year.
Said McCrery: “To support future growth in our package business, the old ways of assessing and verifying packages are poised for sun-setting, and we are future-ready with this new package platform.”
Source : https://link.usps.com/2019/04/08
No 29-2019
Formulated by UNI Apro Post and Logistics Sector
Starship Technologies celebrates 50,000 autonomous deliveries. April 10, 2019.
Correos Invests €11 Million In Its First International Acquisition. April 9, 2019.
Start building of a new parcel sorting centre of PostNL in Tilburg. April 8, 2019.
Austrian Post Takes An Important Step In Creating A New Financial Services Offering. April 8, 2019.
Meet The New Boss; Same As The Old Boss? April 5, 2019.
Japan Post to sell up to 30% of outstanding shares in its insurance unit. April 5, 2019
Starship Technologies celebrates 50,000 autonomous deliveries
April 10, 2019
Starship Technologies has passed the major milestone of 50,000 commercial deliveries.
The company’s robots have made deliveries in over 100 cities around the world, operating commercially every day in local neighborhoods and university and corporate campuses across five different time zones.
In April 2018, the company began delivering groceries and items from a Co-op food store in Milton Keynes, UK, to residents’ front doors. Since then, Starship’s global fleet of robots has not only surpassed 50,000 commercial deliveries but has now traveled over 200,000 miles across the globe.
Using Starship’s delivery service means residents don’t have to worry about driving to the shop to pick up their groceries, which not only saves them time and provides convenience, but also reduces congestion and pollution. To date, Starship’s delivery service in Milton Keynes has eliminated tens of thousands of unnecessary car journeys. The most popular items ordered in the last year include milk, bread and chocolate.
The growth in popularity of Starship’s service has also seen the company announce a new partnership with a second Co-op store in Milton Keynes, adding to the delivery service also offered from a Tesco store in the town.
Lex Bayer, CEO of Starship Technologies, said, “Today is a significant milestone for Starship as we celebrate passing 50,000 deliveries with our autonomous robots. The popularity of our service continues, and we are delighted to be expanding to additional neighborhoods and university campuses across the world.
“It has been exciting to see the increase in ‘top up shopping’ by residents in Milton Keynes where they buy groceries on multiple occasions throughout the week now that they have the option of autonomous delivery.”
Chris Conway, head of digital and e-commerce, retail, at Co-op, said, “This is an exciting time for the Co-op, with innovations and new technologies driving a number of different home delivery schemes. It is all about ease, convenience and choice for today’s time-pressed shopper.
“The popularity of our work with Starship is clear to see in Milton Keynes, with children leaving messages and drawings with the robots, and expressions of thanks from members of the community.”
This news in the UK follows significant expansion for Starship in the USA, where last month the company brought its autonomous delivery services to Northern Arizona University, following a launch at George Mason University campus in Fairfax, Virginia, in January 2019.
Source : https://www.parcelandpostaltechnologyinternational.com/news/delivery
Correos Invests €11 Million In Its First International Acquisition
April 9, 2019
The Correos Group, through its subsidiary Correos Express, has acquired a 51% stake in the Portuguese Group Rangel Expresso and has established Correos Express Portugal.
The acquisition was worth €11 million and will enable Correos, headquartered in Spain, to provide integrated express shipping service to customers and enterprises in the Iberian Peninsula within a 24-hour timeframe. It represents the company’s first international expansion.
Correos Express Portugal has approximately 12 facilities and will employ around 160 people. It will act as a subsidiary of Correos Express and its facilities will be added to Correos Express’ existing network of 55 facilities in Spain.
Through the newly formed subsidiary, Correos Express Portugal, Correos plans to tap into Portugal’s e-commerce market. The Correos Group estimates that in the next five years it will deliver around 35 million parcels, with Spain as the starting point and the final destination,and expects sales growth of 150% or €60 million. Correos Express Portugal is planning to automate its facilities by using artificial intelligence platforms and automated sorting machines.
Source : https://postandparcel.info/103798/news/e-commerce
Start building of a new parcel sorting centre of PostNL in Tilburg
8 April 2019
The Hague, 8 april 2019 – Together with local organisations, PostNL celebrated the start of the building of a new parcel sorting at the Ledeboerstraat in Tilburg on 8 April. Alderman Berend de Vries and Iris van Wees, operations manager of PostNL Pakketten, together symbolically laid the foundation stone for the sustainable new premises. The new location in Tilburg helps to increase the capacity for sorting and distributing parcels.
Iris van Wees, operations manager of PostNL Pakketten: ‘The convenience of online shopping has been completely embraced by the consumer. Many webshops have chosen PostNL for sorting and delivering their parcels and we are very proud of this. This year PostNL will open three new parcel sorting centres in the Netherlands to optimally organise the growing parcel market, including these sustainable premises in Tilburg.’
Berend de Vries, alderman for Economic Affairs in Tilburg: ‘Tilburg and Waalwijk are leader in logistics and in particular in online shopping. It is therefore good that an important player on this market will also build a sorting centre in our city. Besides extra employment, it will also be a fine addition to our logistical ecosystem.’
Marco van der Laan, director of construction company Aan de Stegge Twello: "We are very proud that after a series of parcel sorting centers we already realized for PostNL we again may realize a new parcel sorting center. This shows mutual trust and good cooperation.”
BREEAM certificate
PostNL intends to obtain the BREEAM certificate 'Outstanding' for this parcel sorting centre. For this purpose PostNL is investing in the most sustainable materials, the installation of solar panels and waste heat recovery systems. In addition, the premises will be free of gas. This makes these premises one of the most sustainable premises.
Expansion logistical network
This new PostNL location in Tilburg will be part of a network which currently consists of in total 22 parcel sorting centres in the Netherlands and six locations in Belgium. From these locations the parcel deliverers will deliver parcels seven days a week everywhere in the Netherlands and Belgium. PostNL will open three new parcel sorting centres in the Netherlands in 2019, including this location in Tilburg.
Good for the region
This parcel sorting centre is good for the region: it offers employment for about 400 persons. The parcel sorting centre will become operational this autumn and parcels from there will be delivered in and around Tilburg, for example in Waalwijk, Boxtel, Rijen, Hilvarenbeek and Reusel.
Source : https://www.postnl.nl/en/about-postnl/press-news/news/2019
Austrian Post Takes An Important Step In Creating A New Financial Services Offering
April 8, 2019
Austrian Post and GRAWE Banking Group have agreed to enter into a partnership with Austria.
80% of Brüll Kallmus Bank AG, part of the GRAWE Banking Group, by means of a capital increase and thus assumes control of the company. Ownership control procedures were initiated today with the European Central Bank (ECB) through the Austrian Financial Market Authority (FMA). Subject to regulatory approval, Austrian Post will contribute about EUR 56m within the context of a capital increase. In this way, the legal foundation for creating an independent service offering will be created.
This partnership bundles the sales of Austrian Post with the banking and insurance know-how of the GRAWE Group. According to plan, financial services will be offered in the course of the year 2020. The underlying objective is to present both online and physical. The Austrian Post network of 1,800 postal services points.
As it has until now, Austrian Post would like to continue offering nationwide financial services throughout Austria to its customers. The business model is intended to be focused on risk-averse and focus on services related to bank accounts and payment transactions.
Financial services of other partners wants round off the product portfolio. Information on the precise service offering and the market presence will be disclosed in due time.
Austrian Post Expects start-up costs over the first three years within the context of developing a new offering of financial services and positive earnings contributions thereafter.
Source : https://www.post.at/footer_ueber_uns_presse.php/presse
Meet The New Boss; Same As The Old Boss?
April 5 2019
Recently, a new CEO of Canada Post was appointed. Doug Ettinger replaces interim CEO, Jessica McDonald, who will remain as Chair of the Board at Canada Post. CUPW met with Mr. Ettinger for the first time last week. A wide range of issues were discussed, but no commitments were made.
Mr. Ettinger claims that one of his top priorities is improving labour relations at Canada Post. We’ve heard this talk before. His predecessor made the same type of conciliatory remarks in public, but in practice continued with the same anti-worker policies. McDonald talked a good game, but at the end of the day, she was not willing to settle pay equity for RSMCs, to deal with urgent health and safety issues, and to treat workers with respect.
Ms. McDonald’s brief stint as CEO was marked with dishonesty. Will Mr. Ettinger’s be the same? Time will tell.
Postal workers are not stupid. We will not be fooled by empty promises. It will take more than nice words to solve the issues workers at Canada Post are facing. The injury crisis continues, RSMCs are still not being paid for all hours worked, and long routes, overburdening and overtime remain the norm at Canada Post.
It’s nice to hear that Mr. Ettinger wants to improve the relationship with the union. We would like to be treated with respect. We would like our issues to be taken seriously. But talking points will not solve problems.
Our simple message to the new CEO is this: direct your negotiators to get back to the bargaining table and negotiate collective agreements with CUPW. There is nothing in the back-to-work legislation that prevents the parties from negotiating agreements at any time. So what are we waiting for?
Our rights have been violated. We are living under unconstitutional legislation, going through an arbitration process that threatens to impose contracts on postal workers, denying us the right to vote on our own working conditions. If Mr. Ettinger has any respect for his workforce, he will not let that happen.
Source : https://www.cupw.ca/en
Japan Post to sell up to 30% of outstanding shares in its insurance unit
April 5, 2019
Masatsugu Nagato, president and chief executive officer of Japan Post Holdings Co., speaks during the Bloomberg Year Ahead summit in Tokyo on Dec. 6, 2018. | BLOOMBERG
Japan Post Holdings Co. said Thursday that it will sell up to 30 percent of its outstanding shares in subsidiary Japan Post Insurance Co. by the end of this month.
The value of the sale of up to 185 million shares will reach ¥440 billion based on the insurer’s share price Thursday on the first section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange.
Japan Post Insurance said the same day that it will buy back its own shares worth up to ¥100 billion between Monday and April 12.
Japan Post Holdings’ stake in the unit is expected to fall to about 65 percent.
The company plans to use the proceeds from the share sale for strategic investment to boost the group’s corporate value, officials said.
Japan Post Holdings is expected to use part of the funds to acquire a stake in U.S. insurance giant Aflac Inc. later this year, informed sources said. The postal service holding company announced the investment plan in December.
Japan Post Holdings plans to sell all of its equity stakes in Japan Post Insurance and another key financial unit, Japan Post Bank, based on the postal privatization law. It initially aims to lower the stakes to about 50 percent.
The planned partial sale of Japan Post Insurance shares is also believed to be aimed at demonstrating the progress in the privatization process of the country’s postal services and fending off criticism from the insurance industry that the group is pressuring private-sector businesses.
Source : https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2019/04/05/business/corporate-business
POSTAL NEWS
No 30-2019
Formulated by UNI Apro Post and Logistics Sector
DHL Launches Service For International Shipment Of Small Goods. April 11, 2019.
Homeless get personal lockers and mailboxes at key Salvation Army site in Melbourne CBD. April 10, 2019.
UPU issues statement on postal remuneration rate. April 10, 2019.
APWU Enters Mediation. April 9, 2019.
Automated returns. Making USPS more competitive in package market. April 8, 2019.
DHL Launches Service For International Shipment Of Small Goods
April 11, 2019
On 15 April, 2019, DHL will launch DHL Päckchen XS International, a new product for private customers wishing to ship small parcels that weigh up to 2 kilograms and are within specified size limits.
The price is €4.89 to other EU countries and €8.89 to all other countries. The DHL Päckchen XS will complement the existing product range for larger-format international packages and parcels.
Shipping labels for the DHL Päckchen XS will be available from April 15, 2019, through DHL’s online franking service, the DHL app or the online franking service in the Deutsche Post shop. The parcels can be dropped off at the more than 28,000 parcel drop-off points throughout Germany, including Deutsche Post retail outlets, DHL Paketshops, DHL Packstations and DHL Paketboxes.
Effective January 1, 2019, Deutsche Post changed its general terms and conditions to prohibit the shipment of goods in international letters. In doing so, Deutsche Post implemented the Universal Postal Union’s division of international letter content into goods and documents and took the first steps to meet customs- and security-related demands from a growing number of countries for electronic registration of shipments that contain goods.
For private customers, DHL offers its DHL Päckchen and DHL Paket products for international shipments of goods as they already satisfy these requirements in the online sector.
Source: https://postandparcel.info/103843/news/parcel
Homeless get personal lockers and mailboxes at key Salvation Army site in Melbourne CBD
April 10, 2019
Rough sleepers in the CBD will have access to hundreds of personal lockers and mailboxes under a joint effort by government and private sectors to help the most vulnerable.
More than 150 lockers and about 170 mailboxes have been installed at the Salvation Army’s Project 614 centre in Bourke St, where most of the city’s homeless gather.
Australia Post, Collingwood Football Club and the City of Melbourne drove the initiative, which was delayed for several months due to heritage issues affecting works done at the Salvos building.
Australia Post chief executive officer Christine Holgate said the idea came from staff members who saw the plight of the homeless first-hand when going in and out of the organisation’s Bourke St headquarters.
“When you do have these people on your doorstep, it’s a really good community thing to do, these are our neighbours,” she said.
“They need a safe place to store things, they have to carry their belongings with them all the time.”
Ms Holgate said that letters sent to people with no fixed address could only be received via a single box at a nearby post office.
“Personal onsite mailboxes enable people in special circumstances to re-establish connections with family and friends, government and financial services, and accommodation, in a safe and secure place,” she said.
Lord Mayor Sally Capp, who included lockers for the homeless in her election manifesto, said rough sleepers often had nowhere to store their stuff.
“This often can mean people are left with no choice but to leave items on the street where it’s at risk of being stolen or collected with rubbish,” she said.
Collingwood president Eddie McGuire said it was very hard getting back on your feet after losing touch with friends, family and basic services.
“What these new facilities offer is a connection; a way for those in need to reconnect or
stay connected with the community and the avenues to assistance they might require,” he said.
Salvation Army Major Brendan Nottle praised the way problems were solved in the city through co-operation involving business, police, community groups, government and the broader community.
Source : https://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria
UPU issues statement on postal remuneration rates
April 10, 2019
Today, the Second Committee (Universal Service Obligation, Regulatory Affairs, and Postal Regulation) of the UPU’s Council of Administration, the body responsible for ensuring the continuity of the UPU’s work between Congresses, reviewed options for revising the present postal remuneration system.
The three options before the committee were as follows: 1) To allow member countries to self-declare postal rates; 2) To accelerate rate increases already approved by the UPU; and 3) A convergence option that also adopts self-declared rates as its basis, but with elements aimed at mitigating undue price impacts.
After discussion, the Second Committee agreed to put all three options forward for voting and will ballot member countries on whether these options will be decided by an Extraordinary Congress to be held on 23-24 September, or by postal ballot.
In a statement issued afterwards, the Director General of the UPU Bishar A. Hussein said, “Today’s decision is the outcome of a wide ranging discussion that began in October last year involving every possible UPU stakeholder, including member countries. Every voice has been heard, and every possible view discussed.”
Mr. Hussein added, “This decision will allow all member countries to vote on this essential matter at either an Extraordinary Congress or a vote by postal ballot. I look forward to working with every member country as we go forward to ensure that we do what is best for the Union, the consumer, and the international postal system.”
Background:
The purpose of the UPU remuneration systems is to compensate the designated operators of destination countries for the cost of handling, transporting and delivering postal items from abroad. Although the relationship between the UPU remuneration systems and postage is indirect, the UPU remuneration rate does constitute a major cost component that needs to be taken into consideration by the sending designated operator when it receives, processes and dispatches a postal item sent to an addressee residing in another country.
Source : http://news.upu.int/no_cache/nd
APWU Enters Mediation
April 9, 2019
In our continuing efforts to get the contract the members deserve, the APWU invoked mediation on April 3, 2019 – sending a letter to the Acting Director of the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service and to the Postal Service. The Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS) is a federal agency that provides public and private-sector labor-management mediation, and by law it is responsible for facilitating the APWU’s demand for mediation with the Postal Service.
In mediation a neutral expert with the experience and training to develop information about the parties, their industry, and their issues will help them look for common ground
towards reaching agreement. A mediator may offer suggestions and recommendations to either or both sides, but does not have the authority to impose a settlement, set contract terms, or require that the parties end mediation with any kind of agreement. The process is expected to take approximately forty-five (45) days.
Even when mediation fails to get a total resolution, this step may help narrow and focus disputes. Such narrowing of some disputes could make interest arbitration more successful for the members.
As the mediation process moves forward, the APWU national officers, members from the field, legal counsel, and staff members are working daily in preparation for interest arbitration. Internal meetings are occurring and will continue on a regularly scheduled basis. Craft officers, the core committee, the Industrial Relations Department, and the President are developing persuasive evidence and arguments, concerning your work and the appropriate compensation for your service, to present to the Postal Service and to an arbitrator.
“Mediation is just another one of the APWU’s efforts to ensure that no stone is left unturned in our continuing battle to get the members what they deserve in their next contract,” said Industrial Relations Director Vance Zimmerman.
“Management’s recent final proposal showed their disrespect for the hard work of the postal workers by demanding a new 4th tier of employees with lower pay, fewer benefits, less leave, no cost-of-living increases, limited lump sum pay increases for current employees, and the threat of layoffs,” President Mark Dimondstein said. “This next step in the process is one more tool we can utilize to help get the workers of today—and tomorrow—the wages, benefits, and work environment they deserve. We truly are fighting today for a better tomorrow.”
Source : https://www.postaltimes.com/postalnews
Automated returns. Making USPS more competitive in package market
April 8, 2019
The Postal Service has implemented USPS Returns for business mailers, the first phase of a new package platform for automating postage assessment, sampling and payment.
USPS Returns uses recent mail processing equipment upgrades to streamline package weighing, measuring, scanning and payment calculations. The platform also allows customers to be charged electronically through their Enterprise Payment System accounts, expediting the secure payment process.
USPS Returns is replacing the manual postage payment steps for Merchandise Return Service, scan-based payment for returns, and scan-weigh-pay package return processes.
“The new technology brings more simplicity, efficiency and transparency for the customer than ever before,” said Marc McCrery, acting mail entry and payment technology vice president at Postal Service headquarters in Washington, DC.
USPS Returns also:
Allows shippers to credit their customers sooner for returned merchandise
Positions USPS to handle predicted package volume growth
Makes it easier to serve customers regardless of size
The platform is part of the Postal Service’s efforts to capture a greater share of the package market, which processes 14.4 billion parcels per year and boasts $89 billion in annual revenue.
The platform fits with two core USPS strategies: to innovate and to invest in the future.
The next phase of the implementation will shift outbound parcels onto the platform, beginning later this year.
Said McCrery: “To support future growth in our package business, the old ways of assessing and verifying packages are poised for sun-setting, and we are future-ready with this new package platform.”
Source : https://link.usps.com/2019/04/08