UNI Apro Post & Logistics
1 POSTAL NEWS
No 75-2021 Formulated by UNI Apro Post and Logistics Sector
1.FedEx Express : Making critical connections around the globe. September 24 2021.
2.Trading update five months to August 2021. September 23, 2021.
3.Negotiations Update: APWU and USPS “Stop the Clock” to continue bargaining for a new contract. September 21, 2021.
4.bpost evolving into the preferred support partner for online stores with growth potential. September 20, 2021.
5.Deutsche Post improves its parcel locker customer experience. September 19, 2021.
1.FedEx Express: Making critical connections around the globe September 24 2021 FedEx Express has delivered a shipment of COVID-19 vaccines and test kits on September 23 from Hungary to Vietnam on behalf of PATH, a global healthcare non-profit organization. FedEx donated the shipping of these critical items to support the fight to end the pandemic. A shipment of 100,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines and 100,000 pieces of antigen test kits onboard a FedEx aircraft were transported from Budapest, Hungary to Hanoi, Vietnam. FedEx used its healthcare solutions and expertise to protect the integrity and security of this time-and temperature-sensitive shipment throughout the journey. “Making critical connections around the globe and delivering strength to communities where our teams and customers live and work is what we do and who we are. In these times of need, we are committed to delivering these lifesaving vaccines to move the world forward. Since the beginning of 2020, FedEx has transported more than 13,800 humanitarian aid shipments globally toward COVID-19 relief efforts,” said Kawal Preet, president, Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa region, FedEx Express, “We will continue to use our vast network for as long as it takes to assist with COVID-19 efforts around the world. “We are grateful to support this vaccine shipment to assist in the country’s recovery, and deliver much needed hope to Vietnam.” said Hardy Diec, managing director, Operations, FedEx Express Indochina. “We are proud of our world-class team of healthcare experts who are working hard to ensure that these critical vaccines are delivered quickly and safely to Vietnam.
” Source : https://postandparcel.info/142193/news/e-commerce/
2.Trading update five months to August 2021 September 23, 2021 Given the unprecedented impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, for FY2021-22 we committed to providing bi-monthly updates on volume and revenue performance. Performance for the five months to August and the two months of July and August combined is detailed below. Keith Williams, Chair, commented: “The first five months saw continued revenue growth across the Group, with both Royal Mail and GLS reporting higher revenues than the prior year.” “In Royal Mail, we are increasingly confident that domestic parcels are re-basing at a significantly higher level than pre-COVID and believe we are maintaining our share of the market. Domestic parcel volumes are up around a third compared to pre-COVID. Domestic parcels performance continues to be more robust against ongoing challenges in international. Whilst we continue to expect further normalisation of parcel performance as we unwind from the pandemic and anticipate some upward pressure on costs, both adjusted operating profit and margin are expected to be higher in H2 compared to H1 “GLS continues to deliver good volume and revenue growth, both year on year and against 2019. Whilst we are seeing upward pressure on costs in a number of our markets, we maintain our outlook for the full year of low single digit % revenue growth and c. 8% operating margin.
Year to date performance- five months to august 2021 Group
• Revenue: Grew by 8.2% year on year and by 17.7% compared to the same period in 2019; Royal Mail
• Revenue: Increased by 7.2% year on year and by 12.1% vs. the same period in 2019;
• Domestic parcel revenue: Grew by 4.1% year on year and by 44.5% the same period in 2019;
• Domestic parcel volume: Decreased by 5% year on year, but grew 34% vs. the same period in 2019;
• Total parcel revenue: Grew by 0.1% year on year and by 33.3% the same period in 2019;
• Total parcel volumes: Decreased by 12% year on year but grew by 18% vs. same period in 2019;
• Total letter revenue: Increased by 18.3% year on year and declined by 7.3% the same period in 2019.
• Addressed letter volumes (excluding elections): Increased by 13% year on year and declined by 19% the same period in 2019;
GLS
• Revenue: Increased 9.3% year on year and by 30.5% vs. the same period in 2019.
• Volume: Increased by 9% year on year and by 30% vs. the same period in 2019.
Royal Mail Domestic parcel volumes increased by 34% compared to pre-COVID levels (April to August 2019), broadly similar to the trend seen in Q1. Reflecting the removal of lockdown restrictions during the summer, domestic volumes decreased by 5% compared to the same period last year, which included the first lockdown and closure of non-essential retail. Total parcel volume declined by 12% year on year in the five months to August, a result of reduced volumes in international which has been impacted by a number of factors previously outlined, including increased customs processing and reduced air freight capacity. Enhanced customs clearance capabilities, which come into effect in the second half of the year, and a focus on driving additional import volumes is targeted to support an improved outlook for international in H2 vs H1. Domestic parcel revenue grew by 44.5% compared to the five months to August 2019, due to volume growth and positive price/mix. Total parcel revenue grew by a third, reflecting our performance in international, which we believe is in line with market changes. Year on year domestic parcel revenue grew by 4.1%, with total parcel revenue broadly flat. Addressed letter volumes (excluding elections) were down 19% compared to two years ago, reflecting the ongoing structural decline in letters. Year on year volumes grew by 13%, given the sharp declines seen at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Total letter revenue grew by 18.3% year on year, reflecting volume growth and positive price/mix. We are working closely with the CWU on deployment of our agreement and with the revisions activity progressing broadly to plan. We anticipate this will be completed by the end of October. From November, our focus will shift to securing the benefits, the significant majority of which are targeted to be delivered in the second half.
GLS GLS delivered good volume and revenue growth, both year on year and vs. 2019. Volume growth slowed during the period as a result of lapping strong volumes seen during the first COVID-19 lockdown in 2020 and the easing of restrictions in a number of countries over the summer. We continue to see the share of B2B increasing due to recovering B2B volumes, combined with slowing B2C volume growth compared to last year. Revenue growth was 9.3% (13.6% growth in €) year on year and 30.5% (34.8% growth in €1 ) compared to 2019. Reported revenue growth was impacted by the strengthening of Sterling.
Royal Mail Due to seasonality July and August are typically lower volume periods of the year. Domestic parcel volumes increased by 32% vs. July and August 2019, but fell by 3% year on year, an improvement on the 7% year on year decline seen in Q1. Total parcel volumes in the two months of July and August increased by 17% vs. the same months in 2019, but fell by 9% year on year, again an improvement on Q1 this year. Total parcel revenues grew by 29.0% vs. July and August 2019. Year on year revenues decreased by 4.6%, primarily due to lower volumes and changing product and channel mix, with volumes in higher value export and consumer channels a smaller proportion of total volume. Addressed letter volumes (excluding elections) in July and August were down 20% compared to two years ago. Year on year volumes increased by 2%, with total letter revenue up 7.7% reflecting positive price/mix. Royal Mail revenue increased by 0.2% in July and August year on year, and by 10.1% over two years. GLS Volume growth in July and August was 7% year on year, or 23% compared to 2019. Revenue growth was 4.5% (10.6% growth in €) year on year and 21.5% (29.2% growth in €1 ) compared to July and August 2019. Underlying revenue growth in Euro terms was driven by higher volumes and better pricing. Reported revenue growth was impacted by the strengthening of Sterling. Outlook The future evolution of the COVID-19 pandemic, including levels of transmission, consumer behaviour and economic factors such as GDP growth and inflation will influence future performance. As previously stated, there is still significant short-term uncertainty as we unwind from the impacts of the pandemic and we continue to expect month-on-month fluctuations in parcel volumes during 2021-22. Group adjusted operating profit for the first half of 2021-22 is expected to be £395 to £400 million, with at least £230 million from Royal Mail. In Royal Mail, despite some anticipated upward pressure on costs, both adjusted operating profit and margin are expected to be higher in H2 compared to H1, due to the significant majority of the benefits of our CWU agreement targeted to be delivered in H2, along with our non-staff cost reduction programme. This is in line with the more usual phasing of profit towards the second half, as in previous years In GLS, whilst we also are seeing upward pressure on costs in a number of our markets due to tighter labour markets and more general inflationary pressures, we expect these can be absorbed within our existing guidance for the full year and maintain our outlook of low single digit % revenue growth and c. 8% operating margin. Source : https://www.royalmailgroup.com/en/press-centre/press-releases/royal-mail-group
3.Negotiations Update: APWU and USPS “Stop the Clock” to continue bargaining for a new contract September 21, 2021 The collective bargaining agreement (union contract) between the American Postal Workers Union and the United States Postal Service covers the wages, hours and working conditions of 200,000 postal workers. Our current contract was due to expire at midnight, September 20, 2021. Over the last two weeks, the APWU and postal management have engaged in frequent negotiating sessions at both the “main table,” the “craft tables,” and in other committees. There has been modest progress on a number of issues affecting all our crafts, including on job security. There has also been a narrowing of the differences on important items including the economic package. However, the union and management have been unable to secure a negotiated agreement by midnight September 20. The APWU National Negotiating Committee (NNC) had two choices: Either start the process of mediation heading to interest arbitration, or with mutual agreement with postal management, “stop the clock” (meaning the contract does not expire at midnight) and continue negotiations for a period of time. It is the unanimous decision of the National Negotiating Committee to “stop the clock” and continue bargaining. It is also the position of the NNC that we will reevaluate progress on a regular basis and invoke mediation if further negotiations are not productive. “The entire APWU negotiating team is working together and working hard to secure the new contract that our members have earned and deserve,” said APWU Chief Spokesperson Vance Zimmerman. “Continued negotiations for a short period of time are in the best interests of the members.” “The APWU is leaving no stone unturned. Based on progress thus far we have the possibility of reaching a negotiated union contract,” declared President and Lead Negotiator Mark Dimondstein. “It is vital we all stay union strong and union proud in our collective quest for workplace justice.”
Source : https://apwu.org/news
4.bpost evolving into the preferred support partner for online stores with growth potential September 20, 2021 Strong growth in supply and demand in e-commerce last year. 42% of currently operating Belgian online stores opened in 2020, which corresponds to around 52 new openings a day (versus 14 in 2019)*. bpost helped 1400 local retailers take their first steps in e-commerce with elkezaakonline.be/touslesmagasinsenligne.be, which launched in June 2020. The platform shifts up a gear this month as it rolls out a wider, more personalized range of services to small and mid-sized enterprises that already have an online store or are thinking about opening one. The pandemic has seen the people of Belgium adopt online shopping in huge numbers. bpost delivered more than 700,000 parcels on the busiest days during the end-of-year period 2020-2021. And e-commerce continues to grow. Local small and mid-sized enterprises are perfectly placed to reap the benefits through their own e-commerce activities. bpost aims to provide even greater support to help them do just that.
Since the launch of elkezaakonline.be/touslesmagasinsenligne.be in June 2020, bpost has helped 1400 local retailers take their first steps in e-commerce.A recent study** revealed that 83% of current users of the platform are satisfied or very satisfied. That said, bpost identifies huge potential for higher digital sales at most online stores. Users say that a lack of time is the main obstacle to a more professional website. Additionally, 65% of SMEs with an online store or plans to open one say they don’t have all the online marketing tools they need to attract new customers. More than half of the respondents (53%) say they could use more digital marketing advice. From interesting content… bpost aims to capitalize by upgrading its elkezaakonline.be/touslesmagasinsenligne.be services. The platform was originally focused on providing technical and content support to enable SMEs to take their first steps in launching an online store. Many more services are now being added, both for start-ups and for businesses that already have an online store. First and foremost, the elkezaakonline.be/touslesmagasinsenligne.be platform presents lots of interesting content providing support, knowledge and inspiration to retailers on topics they are concerned about. Those include how to set up an online store, which sales channels to choose, SEO advice, online marketing, how to optimize shipments and returns, what consumers expect in terms of parcel delivery and much more. Additionally, bpost has developed a program of free monthly practical webinars, each specially designed to give retailers all the information they need to tackle the most common challenges.
… to personal advice
Each retailer can also book a free one-hour session to get personalized advice from an e_commerce expert. They analyse the existing online shop together and the expert listens to the specific challenges and difficulties. Based on the interview, the expert draws up a plan to take the online store to the next level. This personalized approach is highly appreciated by the users.
Source : https://press.bpost.be/
5.Deutsche Post improves its parcel locker customer experience
September 19, 2021 Deutsche Post DHL is improving the customer experience for its Packstation parcel lockers. Until now, customers needed a DHL customer card to collect parcels from Packstations. Now, Deutsche Post DHL has introduced a new, scannable pick-up code will via its app for collecting parcels at Packstations. The individually generated pick-up code is time-limited and device-specific. How it works To collect a parcel from the parcel locker, customers scan the pick-up code at the locker and the relevant locker door opens.
The new pick-up code is regenerated at short intervals in the Post & DHL app. This is almost bank-level security… is it overkill? Or do German consumers appreciate the extra level of security when it comes to out-of-home parcel delivery? The new service only applies to customers who have their shipments addressed directly to a Packstation. Failed first-time deliveries for residential addresses that are rerouted to a parcel locker for collection can still be picked up from the Packstation using the notification card. The future for packstation delivery Deutsche Post DHL Group currently has over 7,500 Packstations across Germany, with the network to be expanded to 12,500 parcel lockers by the end of 2023. All services relating to sending and receiving parcels are to be integrated into the Post & DHL app. In the future, Deutsche Post DHL will also be installing more of the new generation of Packstation parcel lockers which don’t have a display. The new machines supply themselves with environmentally friendly solar energy and are purely app_controlled.
Source : http://www.thepostalhub.com/blog
POSTAL NEWS No 76-2021
Formulated by UNI Apro Post and Logistics Sector
1. PMG discusses future at NPF. September 24, 2021.
2. Postal services: As of April 1, 2022, mail will be delivered in a reduced volumes on Tuesdays and Thursdays. September 23, 2021.
3. How Australia Post brought its focus to sustainability. September 22, 2021.
4. Couriers Please forecasts 30 per cent growth for December quarter. September 21, 2021.
5. We are not fooled, Mr. O’Toole. September 18, 2021.
1.PMG discusses future at NPF September 24, 2021 He touted several of the Delivering for America initiatives that are currently underway, including strengthening the workforce, adding package processing equipment, investing in information processing, rolling out new delivery vehicles and piloting USPS Connect Local.
“Everybody’s excited to move forward with these transformative changes,” DeJoy said. The Postmaster General also signaled that he expects Congress to act on postal reform legislation this fall.
“This is a process and I’m impressed with how the process is moving. I really believe the Congress wants to get it passed,” he said. The conference was held Sept. 20-22. Other sessions focused on direct mail, data tracking, professional development and mail operations. The National Postal Forum, or NPF, is a not-for-profit educational corporation founded in 1968 to ensure open lines of communication between USPS and business customers.
Source : https://www.postaltimes.com/postalnews
2.Postal services: As of April 1, 2022, mail will be delivered in a reduced volumes on Tuesdays and Thursdays September 23, 2021 The volume of printed mail continues to fall, and the needs and requirements of mail_sending companies and institutions are becoming differentiated. As a response to the change, we are developing our delivery services together with our customers. One way is to concentrate mail delivery on to Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, with lightened deliveries made on Tuesdays and Thursdays. The current Light Friday delivery will be changed to a Light Thursday delivery from April 1, 2022 onward. Nowadays, a household receives approximately 3.5 addressed items per week. In the 2000s, the volume of letters has fallen by over 60% because of digital communications. In addition, the COVID-19 pandemic has further reduced the volume of letters especially. In addition to the development of mail volumes, Posti’s delivery services take into account the needs of mail-sending customers e.g., needs in different parts of Finland and within urban areas as well as sparsely populated areas. By varying the rhythm of delivery according to the volume of mail on weekdays is an important tool that enables us to ensure the continuity of postal services for citizens and businesses throughout the country. The change in reduced mail volumes from Friday to Thursday does not result to the need to reduce personnel. We will deliver newspapers in Posti’s early-morning delivery seven days a week. Other mail will be delivered on five weekdays. With regard of universal service, delivery takes place in accordance with the Postal Act. The change will not affect the mail delivery speed. Posti's service points and customer service will be open as usual, and the change will not affect parcel deliveries.
We will switch to lightened Thursday deliveries in April 2022.
We will tell mail recipients more closer to the date. Until April 2022, we will continue to deliver mail in a reduced capacity on Tuesdays and Fridays. Delivered on Tuesdays and Thursdays: § Newspapers in early-morning delivery § Newspapers in daytime delivery § Letters and postcards with a Plus Sticker § Express letters § Parcels § Laboratory items § Items sent to a corporate postal code, corporate addresses, and P.O. Box Delivered on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays: All products, including the above
Source : https://www.posti.com/en/media/media-news/2021
3.How Australia Post brought its focus to sustainability September 22, 2021
We sat down for a conversation with Susan Mizrahi, Australia Post’s chief sustainability officer, about how one of Australia’s most trusted brands approaches sustainability. After spending four years as head of corporate responsibility for Australia Post, Susan Mizrahi became the business’s chief sustainability officer in 2019It was a role first established under the leadership of Christine Holgate and Nicole Sheffield, who worked to elevate the business’s sustainability credentials by bringing together the corporate responsibility and environmental sustainability teams. Since Mizrahi took on the job, Australia Post has released its first Group Corporate Responsibility Plan, shifted to 100 per cent recyclable packing and created a carbon neutral deliveries program. It currently has over 3,000 electric delivery vehicles on the road. We caught up with Mizrahi to discuss what the last couple of years have been like for her and her team, what sustainability looks like for Australia Post moving forward, and how they’re approaching the UN’s sustainable development goals (SDGs).
What is Australia Post’s approach to being a sustainable business?
We’re taking a holistic and very deliberate, strategic approach to sustainability. In 2016 we were one of the first Australian companies to embrace the SDGs, and they’ve acted as our north star. They’ve both underpinned and helped frame our approach to sustainability, and corporate responsibility, in recent years. In 2020, we released our first Group Corporate Responsibility Plan, which covers off the social, environmental and governance dimensions [of the business] to ensure that we’re profiting responsibly. It was the first public facing plan specifically related to our targets and our approach to sustainability that we’d ever laid out, and it held us to account both internally and externally. It laid the foundation for how we were going to drive value creation both socially and environmentally and how we would practice good governance, as a corporation. We’re now two years into that plan and we’ve achieved a number of milestones.
Tell me a bit about those milestones…
One hundred per cent of our packaging is now recyclable and the vast majority of that is made with recycled content – we will be 100 per cent on both fronts by the end of this year, delivering on a pledge we made at the Australian Plastics Summit last year. We have offset 124 million parcels through our carbon neutral deliveries program with Qantas Future Planet. We’ve published a series of white papers to help support our customers, suppliers and partners to address the SDGs. The latest being a small business sustainability white paper, in partnership with the Banksia Foundation, that provides our small business partners and customers with a roadmap of how they can grow their business sustainably. We’ve published our fourth Reconciliation Action Plan, and achieved our enterprise target of 3 per cent Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employees. And we’re one of Australia’s first 13 companies to set a validated science based target, which is to address our scope one, two and three emissions. Australia Post also has Australia’s largest electric fleet for last mile delivery with over 3,000 electric delivery vehicles on the road, and we’re about to launch 20 new Fuso eCantor electric trucks into the Australian market — the first time those trucks are being used in Australia.
It sounds as if the work you’re doing in the SDG space is going very well. With so many businesses reported to be playing catch up with the SDGs, what’s Australia Post doing differently?
We’ve taken a really robust approach to the SDGs. Being a government business enterprise, our shareholder is the Australian government, and so when the goals were released, we felt that we had a moral obligation, not only as a large Australian business, but also as an extension of the Australian government to be doing the right thing in terms of helping to deliver on the goals. The SDGs, as I said previously, were a north star for us but they’re not a utopian framework. They have commercial and strategic value. We wouldn’t have been able to sustain our CSR efforts if they weren’t proving to be popular, and profitable, with our people and our customers. When the SDGs came out, we went through a comprehensive mapping exercise to look at our business strategy. This was around our impact as a business on the environment, society, customers etc and we also undertook stakeholder research as well. From that we identified a number of SDGs that we had the opportunity to influence directly, and some that we were influencing indirectly. For those that we had the opportunity to influence more directly we set aspirations for 2030. One of the things that we’ve been doing is looking at the Australian government’s reporting platform on the SDGs and the indicators within that — those indicators inform the federal government’s periodic National Review to the UN. Of those 15, or so, indicators that we’ve been monitoring we are performing above the national average with respect to 13 of them.
What about the ones not performing so well?
Those are the ones that enable us to identify gaps and areas for improvement. For example, one that we haven’t been progressing as robustly as we’d like is renewable energy. And so we’ve stepped up our investment in that area.
Other than the federal government’s tool, how else do you track impact?
It depends on the metrics we’re talking about, there could be a flurry of information depending on which one. For example, we’ve been doing a lot around Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employment, and so the people and culture team track the data and the engagement of those employees in that space. We have a strategic community investment program that’s aligned to the themes of mental health, literacy and disaster resilience, and that’s led out of our community team. And then on the environmental front, our big focus areas are around emissions and waste reduction, increasing recycling and sustainable packaging and we have a really comprehensive program of work underpinning each of those areas and track that very carefully.
As Australia Post moves towards its validated science based target to reduce emissions by 15 per cent by 2025, how reliant is the business on a partner like Qantas to do the same?
Australia Post has a robust and strategic relationship with Qantas, it supplies us with our aircrafts, and their commitment to zero emissions by 2050 will only help us deliver on our efforts. That’s because about a third of our total emissions come from our delivery relationship with Qantas. We’re always working with them to drive efficiencies in our shared freight services and, in addition to that work, we’ve partnered with Qantas Future Planet on our carbon neutrality for carbon neutral deliveries program. That means that, since October 2019, every parcel you send through a retail outlet or through MyPost’s business account is automatically carbon neutral as we offset the emissions of that delivery.
What does that look like on a practical level? Is it a financial donation, tree planting?
Qantas Future Planet has a suite of programs that a company like ours can invest in. We deliberately went through the different programs with an SDG lens, and aligned them back to our strategy. And so, we invest in a mix of domestic and international programs, including reforestation in New South Wales and Queensland and Indigenous fire management programs in the Northern Territory that help provide both an environmental impact and employment for Indigenous people up north. We are one of the top three purchasers of Indigenous offset programs in the country, which is something I’m quite proud of.
Australia Post’s Group Corporate Responsibility Plan states that it will establish a target of procuring $60 million through social enterprises and Indigenous businesses, between 2020 and 2022. How is that looking as we approach the end of 2021?
It’s looking very positive and we’re on track to achieve that target. For us it’s not about procuring more, it’s about doing it differently. An example of a procurement business we use, and one that I love, is called Nature Call, which is an Indigenous business providing ethical magpie removal services. With safety being our number one priority, swooping magpies can be a real hazard for our posties, and so we partnered with them to remove the magpies from delivery routes, relocate them and track their movements to ensure they settle appropriately in a new environment.
The Group Corporate Responsibility Plan we’ve been talking about only goes to the end of 2022, so what happens next?
We’re in the early stages of designing the new plan. We have a new CEO starting soon, who I hope will help us elevate our sustainability agenda and take it to the next level. We know that sustainability is of increasing importance to our customers and the broader Australian community. And, as one of Australia’s most trusted brands, we have a responsibility to help deliver a more sustainable future. Environmental sustainability issues will only increase in importance, and our focus will continue to be around supply chain considerations and the environment. We’ll be looking at climate risk, sustainable packaging, waste and circular economy and then supply chain emissions around scope three but also sustainability considerations on the social side of supply chains in relation to modern slavery. And I see a real opportunity for us to do more marketing for our great social and environmental initiatives, and to externally communicate the progress that we’ve made. I’d also love us to further engage our people so that they understand the role that they can play, particularly in relation to environmental sustainability.
Source : https://probonoaustralia.com.au/news/2021/09
4.CouriersPlease forecasts 30 per cent growth for December quarter September 21, 2021 Parcel delivery service CouriersPlease is forecasting a second parcel boom before Christmas. The e-commerce boom of 2020 has continued well into 2021 and this year, between the months of March and May, CouriersPlease experienced an 80 per cent spike in parcel volumes compared with the previous year. October to December is the peak period for the logistics industry, given the popularity of major shopping events such as Black Friday and Cyber Monday, as well as Christmas shopping. CouriersPlease reports its parcel volumes grew to more than 4.6 million in the final quarter of 2019, an increase of just 1 per cent (52,000 parcels) on the 2019 September quarter. However, during the 2020 December quarter, CouriersPlease handled more than 8 million parcels, amounting to a significant 71 per cent growth on the 2019 December quarter. This year CouriersPlease says it is well on its way to surpassing its 2020 December quarter volumes, already delivering more than 5.6 million parcels in just eight weeks.
As a result, the company expects a further 30 per cent growth in the December quarter compared with the same period last year. This is about 2.4 million more parcels than the company delivered during the last December quarter, and 122 per cent (5.7 million parcels) more than the 2019 December quarter. “We’ve continued to experience a surge in parcel volumes and the current lockdowns have seen volumes soar to the levels we see during peak periods,” said Phil Reid, CouriersPlease Chief Operations Officer. “Since last year’s boom, we expanded the business rapidly, doubling our franchisee network and hiring hundreds more delivery drivers. However, volumes continue to soar to record levels, and a second parcel boom this November and December is inevitable. We are preparing for a more than 30 per cent increase in volumes during this period and have already started recruiting more warehouse staff and delivery drivers where possible.” Reid said it is important for shoppers to understand that couriers across the country are delivering more parcels than ever before, particularly as lockdowns continue in Australia’s two largest cities. “While it is a challenge for the industry to keep up and deliver within timeframes, we do know how frustrating it can be for those waiting to receive essential and urgent items,” he said. “Preparing for potential delays remains important and shoppers should pay particular attention to notifications from couriers, who are updating delivery timeframes and communicating delays to the best of their ability.”
Source : https://www.primemovermag.com.au/
5.We are not fooled, Mr. O’Toole September 18, 2021
The history between the Conservatives and Canadian labour unions is far from being a fairy tale. Cuts, back-to-work legislations, closures, privatizations; the Conservatives’ multiple attacks to destroy our working conditions while in power should be of great concern to Canadian workers should Mr. O’Toole win the election on Monday.
Mr. O’Toole, the new leader of the Conservative Party, claims to be on the side of working people, but a quick glance at his platform is enough to deflate any hope for us, the activists and defenders of workers’ rights.
Mr. O’Toole’s words pale in comparison to the actions of the Conservative Party. Although he claims to be an “ally” of workers, he actually was a member of Mr. Harper’s cabinet when 26,000 federal employees lost their jobs under the last Conservative government. Mr. O’Toole supported all of the Harper government’s back-to-work legislations that curtailed the collective bargaining rights of thousands of workers. In 2011, his party passed an unconstitutional back-to-work legislation that threatened to attack our jobs as postal workers. In 2015, eight thousands of our brothers and sisters were at risk of losing their jobs, and the future of door-to-door mail delivery was at stake. Thousands of citizens, allies, unions, community groups and others from across the country joined us and managed to turn the concerns of postal workers into one of the key issues of the electoral campaign. And guess what? We won. You have repeatedly turned down our requests for meetings, and our calls and emails go unanswered. You don’t seem to realize that we are in the middle of an election campaign and that Canadian labour unions represent thousands of voters. CUPW, of which we are members, has 61,000 voters, and still you have chosen to remain silent. Where is the logic between your words and your actions, if from the outset and before you are even elected, you don’t bother to listen to us? Mr. O’Toole, despite your empty rhetoric masquerading as goodwill, we are not fooled. You will not get our votes. Moreover, we have done and will do everything we can between now and Monday to ensure that your party does not get into power, for the sake of our brothers and sisters, for the sake of all Canadian labour unions, for the sake of all workers. We deserve better than the Conservatives’ usual contempt for us.
Source : https://www.cupw.ca/en
POSTAL NEWS No 76-2021
Formulated by UNI Apro Post and Logistics Sector
1. PMG discusses future at NPF. September 24, 2021.
2. Postal services: As of April 1, 2022, mail will be delivered in a reduced volumes on Tuesdays and Thursdays. September 23, 2021.
3. How Australia Post brought its focus to sustainability. September 22, 2021.
4. Couriers Please forecasts 30 per cent growth for December quarter. September 21, 2021.
5. We are not fooled, Mr. O’Toole. September 18, 2021.
1.PMG discusses future at NPF September 24, 2021 He touted several of the Delivering for America initiatives that are currently underway, including strengthening the workforce, adding package processing equipment, investing in information processing, rolling out new delivery vehicles and piloting USPS Connect Local.
“Everybody’s excited to move forward with these transformative changes,” DeJoy said. The Postmaster General also signaled that he expects Congress to act on postal reform legislation this fall.
“This is a process and I’m impressed with how the process is moving. I really believe the Congress wants to get it passed,” he said. The conference was held Sept. 20-22. Other sessions focused on direct mail, data tracking, professional development and mail operations. The National Postal Forum, or NPF, is a not-for-profit educational corporation founded in 1968 to ensure open lines of communication between USPS and business customers.
Source : https://www.postaltimes.com/postalnews
2.Postal services: As of April 1, 2022, mail will be delivered in a reduced volumes on Tuesdays and Thursdays September 23, 2021 The volume of printed mail continues to fall, and the needs and requirements of mail_sending companies and institutions are becoming differentiated. As a response to the change, we are developing our delivery services together with our customers. One way is to concentrate mail delivery on to Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, with lightened deliveries made on Tuesdays and Thursdays. The current Light Friday delivery will be changed to a Light Thursday delivery from April 1, 2022 onward. Nowadays, a household receives approximately 3.5 addressed items per week. In the 2000s, the volume of letters has fallen by over 60% because of digital communications. In addition, the COVID-19 pandemic has further reduced the volume of letters especially. In addition to the development of mail volumes, Posti’s delivery services take into account the needs of mail-sending customers e.g., needs in different parts of Finland and within urban areas as well as sparsely populated areas. By varying the rhythm of delivery according to the volume of mail on weekdays is an important tool that enables us to ensure the continuity of postal services for citizens and businesses throughout the country. The change in reduced mail volumes from Friday to Thursday does not result to the need to reduce personnel. We will deliver newspapers in Posti’s early-morning delivery seven days a week. Other mail will be delivered on five weekdays. With regard of universal service, delivery takes place in accordance with the Postal Act. The change will not affect the mail delivery speed. Posti's service points and customer service will be open as usual, and the change will not affect parcel deliveries.
We will switch to lightened Thursday deliveries in April 2022.
We will tell mail recipients more closer to the date. Until April 2022, we will continue to deliver mail in a reduced capacity on Tuesdays and Fridays. Delivered on Tuesdays and Thursdays: § Newspapers in early-morning delivery § Newspapers in daytime delivery § Letters and postcards with a Plus Sticker § Express letters § Parcels § Laboratory items § Items sent to a corporate postal code, corporate addresses, and P.O. Box Delivered on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays: All products, including the above
Source : https://www.posti.com/en/media/media-news/2021
3.How Australia Post brought its focus to sustainability September 22, 2021
We sat down for a conversation with Susan Mizrahi, Australia Post’s chief sustainability officer, about how one of Australia’s most trusted brands approaches sustainability. After spending four years as head of corporate responsibility for Australia Post, Susan Mizrahi became the business’s chief sustainability officer in 2019It was a role first established under the leadership of Christine Holgate and Nicole Sheffield, who worked to elevate the business’s sustainability credentials by bringing together the corporate responsibility and environmental sustainability teams. Since Mizrahi took on the job, Australia Post has released its first Group Corporate Responsibility Plan, shifted to 100 per cent recyclable packing and created a carbon neutral deliveries program. It currently has over 3,000 electric delivery vehicles on the road. We caught up with Mizrahi to discuss what the last couple of years have been like for her and her team, what sustainability looks like for Australia Post moving forward, and how they’re approaching the UN’s sustainable development goals (SDGs).
What is Australia Post’s approach to being a sustainable business?
We’re taking a holistic and very deliberate, strategic approach to sustainability. In 2016 we were one of the first Australian companies to embrace the SDGs, and they’ve acted as our north star. They’ve both underpinned and helped frame our approach to sustainability, and corporate responsibility, in recent years. In 2020, we released our first Group Corporate Responsibility Plan, which covers off the social, environmental and governance dimensions [of the business] to ensure that we’re profiting responsibly. It was the first public facing plan specifically related to our targets and our approach to sustainability that we’d ever laid out, and it held us to account both internally and externally. It laid the foundation for how we were going to drive value creation both socially and environmentally and how we would practice good governance, as a corporation. We’re now two years into that plan and we’ve achieved a number of milestones.
Tell me a bit about those milestones…
One hundred per cent of our packaging is now recyclable and the vast majority of that is made with recycled content – we will be 100 per cent on both fronts by the end of this year, delivering on a pledge we made at the Australian Plastics Summit last year. We have offset 124 million parcels through our carbon neutral deliveries program with Qantas Future Planet. We’ve published a series of white papers to help support our customers, suppliers and partners to address the SDGs. The latest being a small business sustainability white paper, in partnership with the Banksia Foundation, that provides our small business partners and customers with a roadmap of how they can grow their business sustainably. We’ve published our fourth Reconciliation Action Plan, and achieved our enterprise target of 3 per cent Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employees. And we’re one of Australia’s first 13 companies to set a validated science based target, which is to address our scope one, two and three emissions. Australia Post also has Australia’s largest electric fleet for last mile delivery with over 3,000 electric delivery vehicles on the road, and we’re about to launch 20 new Fuso eCantor electric trucks into the Australian market — the first time those trucks are being used in Australia.
It sounds as if the work you’re doing in the SDG space is going very well. With so many businesses reported to be playing catch up with the SDGs, what’s Australia Post doing differently?
We’ve taken a really robust approach to the SDGs. Being a government business enterprise, our shareholder is the Australian government, and so when the goals were released, we felt that we had a moral obligation, not only as a large Australian business, but also as an extension of the Australian government to be doing the right thing in terms of helping to deliver on the goals. The SDGs, as I said previously, were a north star for us but they’re not a utopian framework. They have commercial and strategic value. We wouldn’t have been able to sustain our CSR efforts if they weren’t proving to be popular, and profitable, with our people and our customers. When the SDGs came out, we went through a comprehensive mapping exercise to look at our business strategy. This was around our impact as a business on the environment, society, customers etc and we also undertook stakeholder research as well. From that we identified a number of SDGs that we had the opportunity to influence directly, and some that we were influencing indirectly. For those that we had the opportunity to influence more directly we set aspirations for 2030. One of the things that we’ve been doing is looking at the Australian government’s reporting platform on the SDGs and the indicators within that — those indicators inform the federal government’s periodic National Review to the UN. Of those 15, or so, indicators that we’ve been monitoring we are performing above the national average with respect to 13 of them.
What about the ones not performing so well?
Those are the ones that enable us to identify gaps and areas for improvement. For example, one that we haven’t been progressing as robustly as we’d like is renewable energy. And so we’ve stepped up our investment in that area.
Other than the federal government’s tool, how else do you track impact?
It depends on the metrics we’re talking about, there could be a flurry of information depending on which one. For example, we’ve been doing a lot around Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employment, and so the people and culture team track the data and the engagement of those employees in that space. We have a strategic community investment program that’s aligned to the themes of mental health, literacy and disaster resilience, and that’s led out of our community team. And then on the environmental front, our big focus areas are around emissions and waste reduction, increasing recycling and sustainable packaging and we have a really comprehensive program of work underpinning each of those areas and track that very carefully.
As Australia Post moves towards its validated science based target to reduce emissions by 15 per cent by 2025, how reliant is the business on a partner like Qantas to do the same?
Australia Post has a robust and strategic relationship with Qantas, it supplies us with our aircrafts, and their commitment to zero emissions by 2050 will only help us deliver on our efforts. That’s because about a third of our total emissions come from our delivery relationship with Qantas. We’re always working with them to drive efficiencies in our shared freight services and, in addition to that work, we’ve partnered with Qantas Future Planet on our carbon neutrality for carbon neutral deliveries program. That means that, since October 2019, every parcel you send through a retail outlet or through MyPost’s business account is automatically carbon neutral as we offset the emissions of that delivery.
What does that look like on a practical level? Is it a financial donation, tree planting?
Qantas Future Planet has a suite of programs that a company like ours can invest in. We deliberately went through the different programs with an SDG lens, and aligned them back to our strategy. And so, we invest in a mix of domestic and international programs, including reforestation in New South Wales and Queensland and Indigenous fire management programs in the Northern Territory that help provide both an environmental impact and employment for Indigenous people up north. We are one of the top three purchasers of Indigenous offset programs in the country, which is something I’m quite proud of.
Australia Post’s Group Corporate Responsibility Plan states that it will establish a target of procuring $60 million through social enterprises and Indigenous businesses, between 2020 and 2022. How is that looking as we approach the end of 2021?
It’s looking very positive and we’re on track to achieve that target. For us it’s not about procuring more, it’s about doing it differently. An example of a procurement business we use, and one that I love, is called Nature Call, which is an Indigenous business providing ethical magpie removal services. With safety being our number one priority, swooping magpies can be a real hazard for our posties, and so we partnered with them to remove the magpies from delivery routes, relocate them and track their movements to ensure they settle appropriately in a new environment.
The Group Corporate Responsibility Plan we’ve been talking about only goes to the end of 2022, so what happens next?
We’re in the early stages of designing the new plan. We have a new CEO starting soon, who I hope will help us elevate our sustainability agenda and take it to the next level. We know that sustainability is of increasing importance to our customers and the broader Australian community. And, as one of Australia’s most trusted brands, we have a responsibility to help deliver a more sustainable future. Environmental sustainability issues will only increase in importance, and our focus will continue to be around supply chain considerations and the environment. We’ll be looking at climate risk, sustainable packaging, waste and circular economy and then supply chain emissions around scope three but also sustainability considerations on the social side of supply chains in relation to modern slavery. And I see a real opportunity for us to do more marketing for our great social and environmental initiatives, and to externally communicate the progress that we’ve made. I’d also love us to further engage our people so that they understand the role that they can play, particularly in relation to environmental sustainability.
Source : https://probonoaustralia.com.au/news/2021/09
4.CouriersPlease forecasts 30 per cent growth for December quarter September 21, 2021 Parcel delivery service CouriersPlease is forecasting a second parcel boom before Christmas. The e-commerce boom of 2020 has continued well into 2021 and this year, between the months of March and May, CouriersPlease experienced an 80 per cent spike in parcel volumes compared with the previous year. October to December is the peak period for the logistics industry, given the popularity of major shopping events such as Black Friday and Cyber Monday, as well as Christmas shopping. CouriersPlease reports its parcel volumes grew to more than 4.6 million in the final quarter of 2019, an increase of just 1 per cent (52,000 parcels) on the 2019 September quarter. However, during the 2020 December quarter, CouriersPlease handled more than 8 million parcels, amounting to a significant 71 per cent growth on the 2019 December quarter. This year CouriersPlease says it is well on its way to surpassing its 2020 December quarter volumes, already delivering more than 5.6 million parcels in just eight weeks.
As a result, the company expects a further 30 per cent growth in the December quarter compared with the same period last year. This is about 2.4 million more parcels than the company delivered during the last December quarter, and 122 per cent (5.7 million parcels) more than the 2019 December quarter. “We’ve continued to experience a surge in parcel volumes and the current lockdowns have seen volumes soar to the levels we see during peak periods,” said Phil Reid, CouriersPlease Chief Operations Officer. “Since last year’s boom, we expanded the business rapidly, doubling our franchisee network and hiring hundreds more delivery drivers. However, volumes continue to soar to record levels, and a second parcel boom this November and December is inevitable. We are preparing for a more than 30 per cent increase in volumes during this period and have already started recruiting more warehouse staff and delivery drivers where possible.” Reid said it is important for shoppers to understand that couriers across the country are delivering more parcels than ever before, particularly as lockdowns continue in Australia’s two largest cities. “While it is a challenge for the industry to keep up and deliver within timeframes, we do know how frustrating it can be for those waiting to receive essential and urgent items,” he said. “Preparing for potential delays remains important and shoppers should pay particular attention to notifications from couriers, who are updating delivery timeframes and communicating delays to the best of their ability.”
Source : https://www.primemovermag.com.au/
5.We are not fooled, Mr. O’Toole September 18, 2021
The history between the Conservatives and Canadian labour unions is far from being a fairy tale. Cuts, back-to-work legislations, closures, privatizations; the Conservatives’ multiple attacks to destroy our working conditions while in power should be of great concern to Canadian workers should Mr. O’Toole win the election on Monday.
Mr. O’Toole, the new leader of the Conservative Party, claims to be on the side of working people, but a quick glance at his platform is enough to deflate any hope for us, the activists and defenders of workers’ rights.
Mr. O’Toole’s words pale in comparison to the actions of the Conservative Party. Although he claims to be an “ally” of workers, he actually was a member of Mr. Harper’s cabinet when 26,000 federal employees lost their jobs under the last Conservative government. Mr. O’Toole supported all of the Harper government’s back-to-work legislations that curtailed the collective bargaining rights of thousands of workers. In 2011, his party passed an unconstitutional back-to-work legislation that threatened to attack our jobs as postal workers. In 2015, eight thousands of our brothers and sisters were at risk of losing their jobs, and the future of door-to-door mail delivery was at stake. Thousands of citizens, allies, unions, community groups and others from across the country joined us and managed to turn the concerns of postal workers into one of the key issues of the electoral campaign. And guess what? We won. You have repeatedly turned down our requests for meetings, and our calls and emails go unanswered. You don’t seem to realize that we are in the middle of an election campaign and that Canadian labour unions represent thousands of voters. CUPW, of which we are members, has 61,000 voters, and still you have chosen to remain silent. Where is the logic between your words and your actions, if from the outset and before you are even elected, you don’t bother to listen to us? Mr. O’Toole, despite your empty rhetoric masquerading as goodwill, we are not fooled. You will not get our votes. Moreover, we have done and will do everything we can between now and Monday to ensure that your party does not get into power, for the sake of our brothers and sisters, for the sake of all Canadian labour unions, for the sake of all workers. We deserve better than the Conservatives’ usual contempt for us.
Source : https://www.cupw.ca/en