Royal Mail Strike
Royal Mail workers voted in favor of a national strike October 3rd. It is the first proposed industrial action since its privatization in 2013. The proposed strike could affect the fast approaching holiday delivery season. Legal action halted the first planned 48-hour strike from the Royal Mail. Since then, the Communication Workers Union (CWU) and the Royal Mail have agreed on the appointment of a mediator to hopefully settle the dispute
Workers are distressed by a decision to change the current pension plan and adjust long established work practices. The Royal Mail plans to shut down the salary pension plan that services 90,000 of their 160,000 employees. The contested pension program has not been offered to new employees since 2008.
Mail to England Mailing Improvements Needed
The company claims it’s unaffordable although the pension fund is currently in surplus. The Royal Mail wants to change to a defined contribution plan. The proposed pension fund, which would be contributed to by both The Royal Mail and the union members, cannot guarantee future income levels. The proposal lead to 89% of the Communication Workers Union (CWU) voting in favor of striking, claiming that it’s members could lose up to a third of their future pensions. The Royal Mail claims that it has offered to continue working towards a new pay deal, including a raise of as much as 5% over the next two years.
Royal Mail won an injunction that impeded the union’s plan to call for a 48-hour strike. The imposed mediation will run for at least seven weeks. Regardless of the outcome, the CWU would still have to give a minimum of two weeks’ notice before striking. This would likely prevent the proposed strike from disrupting service during the company’s busiest season.
Mail Services to the UK and beyond
Canada Post Price and Service Changes
Canada Post will introduce service changes and price adjustments to their Direct Marketing and Transaction Mail services. The changes take affect January 15, 2018. This comes after some very popular changes made in August that introduced some creative new features to some of their most popular services. Postal Code Targeting, Personalized Mail, Publications Mail and Incentive Lettermail now offer service for square cards, feature decorative and creative fonts, and allow colored backgrounds in the postage zone.
Canada Post 2018
The 2018 changes continue to improve excellent mail services to Canada. Most notably, price increases are minimal with average increases of just a penny and many services not increasing in price. All services will benefit from a reduction in minimum service requirements. Neighbourhood Mail™ and Personalized Mail™ improve making them a desirable service for US mailers. The maximum items per bundle requirement for Neighbourhood Mail™ are removed, and the maximum allowances for dimensions, weight, and thickness are increasing. In addition to the improved dimension allowances, the service is also introducing delivery cycle changes. The changes reduce delivery time by as many as two days for most standard and oversized Neighbourhood Mail™ pieces. Canada Post is also making improvements to their electronic shipping tools for more accurate invoicing and a smoother customer experience.
Learn more about mailing to Canada
Also, you can follow the links above, and learn more about Atlas’s services. Atlas International Mail has been in business since 1990 and have an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau.