All India Postal Employees Union has threatened to launch an indefinite strike nationwide in support of their long-pending demands. Continue reading
India: Postal employees threaten to launch indefinite strike
Asia Pacific
Kerala: GDS employees strike brings postal services to a grinding halt in Thiruvananthapuram
Postal services in Thiruvananthapuram came to a grinding halt after postal employees and Gramin Dak Sevaks (GDS) continued their stir for the fifth day on Saturday, demanding implementation of Kamalesh Chandra Committee report on pay revision of GDS employees. Continue reading
Australia Post loses trademark fight to startup Sendle
AUSSIE parcel delivery start-up Sendle has slammed Australia Post for “wasting taxpayers’ money” in an attempt to stamp out competition after winning a two-year, David-and-Goliath trademark dispute with the government-owned letters business. Continue reading
Australia Post CEO Ahmed Fahour resigns after salary furor
Australia Post director Ahmed Fahour has resigned just weeks after his $5.6 million salary was revealed by a Senate committee, which dismissed calls for it to be concealed from the public. Continue reading
Australia Post backflip on charging for parcel collection
Australia Post appears to have backed down on charging $9 for parcel pick-ups after public outcry against the mail delivery carrier’s profit increasing move.
Australia Post general manager of postal services Christine Corbett says a final decision will be made shortly, but the company are definitely listening to its loyal customers.
“If they don’t want it, we don’t want it,” Ms Corbett said.
The company have also responded to criticism that delivery standards are suffering, insisting they have improved this year with almost 96 percent of parcels arriving on time.
Read more: Australia Post backflip on charging for parcel collection
New Zealand postie in hot water after refusing to deliver scam letters to nursing home residents
A Nelson postie who refused to deliver scam letters to a rest home has landed herself in trouble with her employer.
The mail woman, who has only been called Carolyn by her union, has avoided a formal warning but has been given a talking to following a NZ Post investigation into her decision not to deliver the mail.
The Postal Workers Union says NZ Post assumed she had opened the letters, but that she actually became aware of the particular scam after one of her colleagues received one of the letters which ask recipients to send money to claim prizes from “winning scratchies”.
After finding 20 identical envelopes in her bag, she twice told her manager she didn’t want to deliver them, particularly with a rest home on her route.
The state-owned post service called for an investigation into why she had interfered with the mail, the union said.
But while it also said she had also been “threatened” with jail time during her meeting, NZ Post called that claim “ridiculous”.
“Her managers made every effort to take a reasonable approach, including not formally warning her while also impressing upon her the seriousness of interfering with mail,” an NZ Post spokesman said.
He said while the NZ Post acknowledged Carolyn was trying to do the right thing, she had knowingly breached the conditions of her employment.
NZ Post didn’t have the power to open mail if it thought it was a scam under the law, but had taken many steps to try to reduce scam mail of the last five years, he said.
The union said despite warnings from NZ Post, Carolyn would be taking a warning letter to residents at the rest home, with instructions to contact the police directly.
Source: Postie in hot water after refusing to deliver scam letter to rest home | ONE News Now | TVNZ
Australia Post to charge a fee for uncollected parcels
Australia Post has announced plans to charge customers for parcels that are not collected after five days.
As part of broader changes taking effect from the start of August, the postal service said it would give people more time to collect items before they are returned to the sender.
Parcels are currently only held for 10 days before they are returned, but customers will now be given 30 days to collect their parcels.
MyPost customers would not be charged a fee for the first 10 days and can also elect to have their parcel safe-dropped at their home, or sent to an alternative location, such as a parcel locker or their closest Post Office.
Customers would be charged up to $9 for each item uncollected for up to 30 days.
Source: Australia Post to charge a fee for uncollected parcels
Australia Post releases beautiful butterflies with a new stamp issue
Australia Post’s latest stamp issue celebrates four spectacular Australian butterfly species: the Pale Triangle (Graphium eurypylus), the Bordered Rustic (Cupha prosope), the Cairns Birdwing (Ornithoptera euphorion) and the Chequered Swallowtail (Papilio demoleus).
Showcasing bold and striking butterflies, these stamps, says Australia Post Philatelic Manager Michael Zsolt, “remind us of the beauty of the natural world”.
“Australia is home to more than 400 butterfly species. The stamp issue features eye-catching photographs of four bright and beautiful butterfly species”, he said.
The three domestic base-rate ($1) and one international rate ($2.75) stamps were designed by Sharon Rodziewicz, Australia Post Design Studio.
Pale Triangle (Graphium eurypylus) is a large and eye-catching butterfly. The species is part of the Graphium genus of swallowtails, of which only six of the almost 90 species occur in Australia.
Bordered Rustic (Cupha prosope) is a medium-sized butterfly. It is seen in sunny areas, small clearings and along creeks, at the edges of thick rainforest in some coastal areas of New South Wales and Queensland.
Cairns Birdwing (Ornithoptera euphorion) is boldly coloured and is found only in coastal and montane rainforest areas of northeast Queensland. The female of the species is the largest butterfly found in Australia, with a wingspan of around 15 to 20 centimetres.
Chequered Swallowtail (Papilio demoleus) is a large butterfly, found in most parts of mainland Australia as well as on Lord Howe Island. Its larvae feed on a wide variety of Cullen species, groundcover plants or shrubs that occur in the arid and tropical zones of northern Australia.
The products associated with this stamp issue are a minisheet, first day cover, stamp pack, sheetlet of five $2.75 stamps, booklet of 20 x $1 self-adhesive stamps, roll of 100 x $1 self-adhesive stamps, postal and numismatic cover and a set of four maxicards.
The Beautiful Butterflies stamp issue is available from 3 May 2016 at participating Post Offices, via mail order on 1800 331 794 and online at auspost.com.au/stamps while stocks last.
Visit the Australia Post Collectables website australiapostcollectables.com.au for an article on Beautiful Butterflies. The Australia Post Collectables website is a central resource for stamp collectors and philatelic enthusiasts across the globe.
Australia Post Drone Delivery Trial Takes Flight
Australia Post will be the first major parcels and logistics company in the country to trial new technology to deliver small parcels by Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA), or ‘drone’, to provide customers with even more choice on how and when they receive their online shopping.
This closed-field trial is an important next step in testing the new technology which will potentially deliver small parcels safely and securely to customers’ homes, allowing for faster transportation of time critical items like medication.
Australia Post Managing Director and Group CEO Ahmed Fahour said this is just one of many innovations the organisation is exploring, with Australia’s eCommerce and online shopping sector experiencing double-digit growth over the past five years.
“Australia Post has been adapting to changing customer needs and new technological advancements for over 200 years. This trial is another exciting example of how we’re looking to the future with emerging technologies to make life easier for our customers,” Mr Fahour said. Continue reading
New Qatar shipping service to deliver packages by drone
From Doha News:
Qatar’s state postal service has launched a new service that will allow shoppers to buy items online and get them delivered directly to their homes or to a “smart locker.”
Announcing the new “Connected by Qatar Post” service, the organization also said it is planning doorstep drone delivery for some packages.
The shop and ship service is similar to Dubai-based Aramex, though appears to be considerably more expensive.
The first phase of the new drone service should start in three months,QNA reported.
Source: New Qatar shipping service to deliver packages by drone – Doha News
