PRESS AND MEDIA
This page is divided into two sections, first section general news about DHL and its parent company Deutsche poste, and scroll down to find general GMB press release on DHL.
For more information please contact GMB press office at info@gmb.org.uk
General news DHL and Deutsche Poste
NHS supplies workers plan second strike Press Association
Tuesday September 19, 2006
The Guardian
Hundreds of NHS workers are to stage a second 24-hour nationwide strike to coincide with a debate on the health service at next week's Labour party conference in a bitter row over privatisation.
Workers at NHS Logistics, which delivers goods ranging from bedpans to food for hospitals and GP surgeries across England, will walk out at 10pm on September 26.
They are already set to strike from 10pm this Thursday in the biggest outbreak of industrial unrest in the NHS for almost 20 years. The action follows the government's decision to transfer their jobs to German-owned delivery giant DHL.
| Will your consultation arrangements comply
22 February 2005 00:00
Time is running out for employers to ensure they will meet the requirements of the forthcoming Information and Consultation of Employees Regulations, and many existing consultative mechanisms will not pass muster unless changes are made.
From 6 April 2005, employers ignoring requests from at least 10% of their workforce to set up formal information and consultation processes will face fines of up to £75,000 and the imposition of a "straitjacket" government information and consultation model.
If such a request is made, employers will be obliged to inform and consult on areas such as employees' prospects for employment and any substantial changes to work organisation or contractual relations.
"Employers need to get their skates on," warns Raymond Jeffers, chairman of the Employment Lawyers Association and global head of employment at law firm Linklaters.
"It is a good idea to get something in place before April and those who want but do not yet have a pre-existing agreement are rapidly running out of time."
"Pre-existing agreements" have to be in place before any employee request is made, otherwise the governmentÕs onerous default model will apply.
"The government's solution combines all models and is a bit of strait-jacket for employers who might want different arrangements for different groups," Jeffers explains.
Richard Hume-Rothery, director of employee consultation specialist the European Study Group, says employers with pre-existing agreements need to make sure they:
- include all of their employees in the arrangements
- secure approval - as opposed to agreement, which implies a more formal approach - in writing.
"Many companies are not including directors and other senior people, or non-unionised parts of the workforce [in their pre-existing agreements]," he says.
Jeffers says the key questions for employers to ask when setting up a pre-existing agreement are:
- Are you going to have the same information and consultation processes for all aspects of the workforce or a variety, with perhaps direct consultation for some?
- How will staff representatives be elected and appointed?
- What will representatives be consulted about? Will circumstances relating to individuals or to transnational issues be excluded?
- How will representatives be trained?
- What is the process for feeding from and back to employees?
DHL Express
Express and logistics firm DHL Express aims to go above and beyond the requirements of the new regulations, using beefed-up employee forums to improve upwards communication and consistency of the brand.
The firm is embracing the information and consultation regulations wholeheartedly. It is extending its existing staff forums to incorporate all employees, including those newly-acquired over the past 12 months with the integration of DHL, Securicor Distribution and Danzas under the DHL brand.
"We welcome these regulations and want to go above and beyond what the regulations want us to do," says Clare Edmonson, HR director for UK and Ireland at DHL Express. "There was lots of employee enthusiasm for the process and we saw it as an opportunity to integrate the new businesses. Legal compliance is one thing, but if we have to invest so much energy and time and internal resources, we want to make the process work and give value to everyone.
"We hope the forums will help our business not just in improved consistency, but in improved, upwards communication. The process is important in our drive towards greater consistency of brand, making sure the team gets a consistent and clear message about our business,Ó says Edmonson.
"The forums will also give employees a true and thorough upwards consultation and will allow us to get vital feedback from staff at customer touch points."
DHL Express, which is owned by Deutsche Post World Net and employs just under 20,000 staff in the UK, started work on a new structure last year, enhancing an existing staff forum. It currently has a number of tandem structures in place, with some parts of the business with full trade union negotiations and agreements, while other parts of the organisation remain non-unionised. Traditionally, it has had trade union structures limited to blue-collar, clerical and administrative staff.
DHL hopes to have its new structure in place by this summer at the latest. All employee levels will be represented under the new local, regional and national structure. There will be 52 representatives, 16 regional forums which will meet quarterly, and local forums meeting every two months. Four representatives will be elected to regional committees, who will meet board representatives twice a year.
"The most effective information and consultation committees are on a local level, looking at what is important for employees, their jobs and customers," says Edmonson. "But if it stops there, it is not as effective as it could be to bring messages up through the organisation and to allow feedback."
Elections involve asking employees to vote for a number of people who had put themselves forward as candidates once the role and key skills required had been outlined.
Edmonson warns that while DHL believes this to be a really effective tool, it does take time to build up a genuinely two-way process of communication.
Learning points
- Ensure forum works for stakeholders, employees and customers
- Use forum to gather intelligence and ensure consistency of message and brand value
- Do not leave it too late: allow at least six months lead-in time and three months for the process to bed down and for those involved to get an idea of what is involved
- Ensure representatives are well-trained, using Acas, for example, to keep a degree of independence.
Web news, 18 August 2006
Tories confront government over NHS outsourcing
By Rebecca Ellinor
The Conservatives are challenging the government over plans to outsource the work of NHS Logistics and parts of the NHS Purchasing and Supply Agency (Pasa), according to The Times.
The article, published today, states that Stephen O'Brien, a shadow health minister, has written to health secretary Patricia Hewitt voicing concerns about the value ofthe deal rising from £700 million to £3.7 billion.
He said it would lead the German-American partnership of DHL/Novation - which is expected to win the contract - to dominate the market at the expense of small UK suppliers.
"Most of the UK medical equipment industry will be at the mercy of a foreign organisation. Experience in the US suggests that this is disastrous for smaller start-up companies that are frozen out of the market," he said.
O'Brien is calling for Hewitt to make a statement to the House of Commons so MPs can comment, but the Department of Health told supplymanagement.com it was not yet sure whether Hewitt would do so.
As reported by SM (News, 3 August), Pasa is set to lose a large part of its buying role as part of the deal. Outsourcing much of purchasing has helped boost the value of the deal and now covers 10 categories including medical supplies, food, linen and laboratory equipment.
DHL latest 30.01.06
GMB HGV drivers employed by DHL Freight and Logisitics are very upset over the non-implementation of part of last year's pay award - the introduction of a new scheme that enables drivers to have sick pay paid from the first day of any sickness absence. The GMB reps at DHL Freight are urging that a ballot for indsutrial action be considered.
EU approves Deutsche Post purchase of Exel
Thu Nov 24, 2005 4:47 PM GMT
BRUSSELS (Reuters) -
Deutsche Post won permission on Thursday from the European Commission to purchase Exel for an agreed 3.7 billion pounds to create the world's top logistics firm.
"The Commission considers that although Deutsche Post will increase its presence on the markets where Exel is active, other companies will be able to compete effectively with Deutsche Post," the Commission said in a statement.
Europe's biggest postal operator is expected to lose its German monopoly on standard letters by 2007, and the deal allows it to tap the fast-growing market for supply chain management and make up for falling sales at home.
Deutsche Post already owns courier DHL. The deal will create the world's biggest logistics, sea and air freight group, and in particular boost Deutsche Post's position in the fast-growing contract logistics market, which involves long-term deals to manage companies' supply chains.
"We can expect attractive growth rates in the future ... driven by increased global trade and increased outsourcing," Deutsche Post Chief Executive Klaus Zumwinkel told reporters when the deal was announced, adding the 150-billion-euro market for contract logistics was set to grow by more than 7 percent a year to 2008.
Exel runs warehouses for retailer Marks & Spencer and ships car parts for DaimlerChrysler
Deutsche Post, looking to expand abroad and outside mail ahead of competition in mail delivery in Germany, said Exel's strength in British, U.S. markets and Asian markets would complement its dominance in continental Europe.
Latest news on Deutsche Poste quarterly profits
Thursday, 10 November 2005, 13:42 GMT 
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Deutsche Post sees cost-cut gains |
Overseas operations now account for half Deutsche Post earnings | Deutsche Post, Europe's largest postal firm, has seen its third-quarter profits rise 140%, boosted by cost savings and ongoing overseas expansion.
Net profit in the three months to 30 September totalled 405m euros ($477m; £273m), compared with 169m euros for the same period last year.
Revenues at the semi-privatised company rose 3.6% to 11bn euros.
Deutsche Post, which is buying the UK's Exel, said cost costs boosted quarterly profits by 163m euros.
Asian growth
The firm is expanding overseas, particularly though its DHL express courier unit, to reduce its reliance upon a German marketplace where from the end of 2007 it will lose its monopoly on mail deliveries.
Revenues generated outside Germany now constitute more than half of Deutsche Post's business.
Quarterly profits at its mail business rose 8% year on year to 399m euros, despite a 1.4% decline in revenue.
DHL enjoyed a profit of 86m euros compared with a loss of 52m euros for the same period a year earlier, with revenues up 6% as it continues to expand in Asia.
Deutsche Post said it intended to complete its £3.7bn acquisition of Exel by the end of this year, and said it was considering making further takeovers.
"Our operating business has recorded encouraging overall growth, and we are confident that this trend will continue during the remaining months of this year," said Deutsche Post finance chief Edgar Ernst.
RNS Number:9238T 
Deutsche Post AG
10 November 2005
Below please find a press release regarding Deutsche Post AG's interim results for the first nine months of 2005.
Deutsche Post World Net lifts net income by 51 percent
* Chairman Zumwinkel: successful expansion in Germany and abroad
* Full-year earnings forecast confirmed
* 9-month revenue up 2.5 percent to 32.5 billion euros
* LOGISTICS records earnings surge in third quarter
Deutsche Post World Net increased its profit from operating activities (EBIT) by 19.9 percent to around 2.4 billion euros in the first nine months. Revenue rose slightly by 2.5 percent to 32.5 billion euros compared with the first nine
months of the previous year. Consolidated net income grew by 51 percent to
around 1.3 billion euros, after 890 million euros in the previous year. Earnings
per share increased accordingly from 0.80 to 1.20 euros. Third quarter
consolidated net income more than doubled year-on-year, from 169 million to 405 million euros.
'We have consistently and successfully continued our global strategy and after completing the acquisition of Exel we will be the leading logistics provider worldwide,' said Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer Klaus Zumwinkel. In the first nine months, the company generated half its revenue outside Germany. Within Germany, the Group also made great progress. 'With the acquisition of BHW, Postbank will be the clear number one in retail banking,' said Zumwinkel.
'Our operating business has recorded encouraging overall growth, and we are
confident that this trend will continue during the remaining months of this
year,' said Chief Financial Officer Edgar Ernst. He confirmed the full-year
forecast for profit from operating activities (EBIT) of at least 3.6c billion
euros. Measures implemented under the STAR value creation program contributed 163 million euros to earnings in the third quarter. This is the highest quarterly contribution since the start of the program three years ago. Overall, the program, which is due to expire at the end of the year, has generated an accumulated figure of almost 1.3 billion euros. This should rise to at least 1.4 billion euros at the end of the year.
MAIL Corporate Division
The MAIL division increased its revenue slightly in the first nine months to
around 9.4 billion euros. The expected decline in national revenue was more than offset by strong growth in the international mail business. In the first nine months of 2005, revenue in the international mail business rose by 17 percent to around 1.5 billion euros. This corresponds to 16 percent of the division's total revenue. EBIT in the MAIL division, at 1.5 billion euros in the period under review, was on a par with the high level of the previous year.
The ongoing weakness of the domestic German economy as expected held back the German mail business. Mail volumes fell by 3.8 percent in the first nine months. Conversely, the trend in the Direct Marketing business is increasingly positive: volumes rose by 2.9 percent in the third quarter. In the first nine months of 2005, the increase was 0.9 percent.
EXPRESS Corporate Division
In the first nine months, revenue in the EXPRESS division rose by 3.2 percent to 13.3 billion euros. EBIT amounted to 249 million euros. The positive trend for the Americas region is persisting with an increase in revenue of 4.3 percent. The EXPRESS subsidiary DHL perceptibly increased its service quality in the USA this year. The company is now working intensively to improve its product offerings and cost structures. EBIT for the Americas region amounted to -264 million euros in the first nine months, following 436 million euros for the prior-year period.
LOGISTICS Corporate Division
LOGISTICS (air and ocean freight and contract logistics) continued its positive development in the first nine months. Revenue increased by 15.6 percent to around 5.7 billion euros; in the third quarter alone the revenue growth amounted to 22.7 percent. Strong organic growth at both DHL Danzas Air & Ocean and DHL Solutions contributed to this increase. The company increased transport volumes and freight rates for both air and ocean freight. Revenue from contract logistics in the third quarter rose by 30.6 percent because of additional business with both new and existing customers.
Operating profit in the LOGISTICS division as a whole increased significantly by 79.7 percent in the first nine months, from 123 million to 221 million euros.
Return on sales climbed from 2.5 percent in the previous year to the current
level of 3.9 percent.
FINANCIAL SERVICES Corporate Division
The FINANCIAL SERVICES division includes Postbank, the Pension Service and the retail outlets. Postbank presented its results separately on November 9. The division generated income of around 5.4 billion euros in the first nine months, a decline of 2.2 percent. This was due to persistently low interest rates. EBIT rose by 16.4 percent to 581 million euros.
Outlook The company is reiterating its expectation of achieving operating profit for full-year 2005 of at least 3.6 billion euros. Consolidated net profit for 2005 should exceed the previous year's figure of around 1.6 billion euros by at least 500 million euros. Deutsche Post World Net therefore intends to increase its dividend for 2005 by at least one third. Due to certain legal restrictions pertaining to its offer for the British logistics group Exel plc, the Group can only make limited forward-looking statements at the present time. Therefore, contrary to its normal practice, it is not publishing any segment-related forecasts today. The full quarterly report is available at www.dpwn.com
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This information is provided by RNS The company news service from the London Stock Exchange
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AFX News Limited
Deutsche Post CEO Zumwinkel disappointed with DHL integration in France, UK
10.13.2005, 11:37 AM
FRANKFURT (AFX) - Deutsche Post AG chief executive Klaus Zumwinkel said he is disappointed with the integration of DHL in France and the UK, according to an interview to be published in Handelsblatt tomorrow.
But Zumwinkel said he has taken steps to speed up the process, including sacking the head of UK operations.
Deutsche Post acquired DHL in 2002, and has successfully completed the integration of the unit at its German and Dutch operations.
The matter is significant because Deutsche Post must now focus on integrating Exel Plc, which it agreed to acquire for 5.5 bln eur last month.
Overall, Zumwinkel said Deutsche Post's biggest upcoming challenge will be to ensure that its logistics operations grow at the same pace as the overall market.
Zumwinkel told the newspaper this is particularly important in the growing Chinese and Indian markets.
In addition, he said that once the German mail delivery market is liberalized in 2008, the company must make up for lost revenue at home with increased sales abroad.
alfred.kueppers@afxnews.com
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GMB Press release - DHL
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31/08/05: No Emergency Procedures For Terror Incidents In Place At DHL Vauxhall ...more
12/08/05: GMB Present Solution To DHL Express To Avert Strike Action ...more
10/08/05: GMB Says No Let Up In Official Strike Ballot Plans Following DHL Talks ...more
09/08/05: Crisis Talks Today Following Strike Threat At DHL ...more
03/08/05: GMB Members At DHL Express Vote Yes By 89% For Industrial Action ...more
26/07/05: GMB Slams DHL Over Sacking of Worker Suffering from a Terminal Illness...more
27/07/05: GMB Ballot For Industrial Action In DHL Express ...more
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