Second employer after the giant WalMart 655

Despite his lead, Deutsche Post is on the defensive

Having adopted as early as 1995 the status of "aktiengesellschaft", equivalent of the SA in France, Deutsche Post (German post) came into stock exchange five years later, to privatization. The public bank KfW holds still 30.5 of the capital. Operationally, the postal group has diversified into cargo and logistics, with DHL, and has strengthened its financial services through Postbank, now owned by Deutsche Bank. But the strategy debate. Trade unions believe that the employees have paid a heavy toll, while investors are spooked difficulties in the express in the United States, because of the bad integration of Airborne, purchased in 2003. Completely liberalised since January 2008, the German postal market was canned, according to new entrants, barriers to curb their arrival, as the advantage granted to Deutsche Post on VAT or the introduction of a minimum wage that forced a competitor, pine, put the key under the door last year.

Royal Mail l plunged into a deep crisis

Royal Mail, the British position, is plunged into a deep identity crisis. The institution has lived since October 22 at the rate of a national strike. The unions are protesting against the modernization plan and militate for an improvement in wages and working conditions. Management has implemented a plan to hire interim 30,000 to replace postal workers on strike. This conflict also highlights the structural weaknesses of Royal Mail, the pension system is heavily deficit. The Government also dropped in July a capital project to the private sector, politically explosive. Because, even if many are those who believe that Royal Mail will have to modernize, the company has its defenders. They point out that only the public position may offer its services in unprofitable areas. Would like others to same Post Office, which already distributes financial products, to become a bank full.

l the Italian position has been converted into company stock in 1998

In Italy, more than ten years ago as the Italian positions (the plural is rigour across the Alps) have changed status, on the initiative of the Government of Romano Prodi's center-left. In February 1998, the establishment adopted the plan of the Corporation, the State having preserved up to now control 100 of the capital. Officers, however, lost their civil servant status while a portion of their wage is indexed to productivity gains. The group, who account 155.000 employees, deleted 70,000 jobs since the reform. Proximity network, consisting of 14,000 wickets, has nevertheless been maintained. To adapt to competition, Italian post conscientiously in financial services, life insurance and invested in jobs with high added value (national express mail, services accessible by mobile phone and Internet or rechargeable prepaid cards). Since 2002, the group is the beneficiary.

l TNT Dutch in difficulty since its privatization

Initiated in 1989 to be completed end of 2006, the complete privatization of the Dutch position gave birth to the TNT group. In a precarious financial situation at the time of independence, it had then sold its logistics industry (turnover 4.1 billion), and then capitalized on the express mail activity (60 of net sales 2009, 11.1 billion). However, the decline in delivery traditional mail, dubbed the complete opening of the Dutch postal market on April 1 2009, forced TNT to announce in July last 11,000 job losses in the domestic mail. Full of bad luck, the economic crisis struck head-on his express pole. Suddenly, TNT is the subject of recurring takeover rumors.

l the American position in loss of 7 billion this year

There are days where it is better not to attend the American position counters. Each quarter, at the dates when taxes must be mailed - stamp authentic-, resulting in Homeric queues. Second employer after the giant Wal-Mart (655.000 employees) distribution and strong net annual sales of $ 75 billion, the post has reduced its workforce of 150,000 people for four years. This year, it is poised to offer financial compensation to leave additional 30,000 and thus save 500 million per year. It must be said that, since 2006, the mail activity lost 18 in volume.

Other measures: the closure of 3,000 agencies and a reduction in the distribution of mail, five days a week. But a vote in Congress must intervene to do this. Since 2006, independent agency, the American position is reduced by the requirement that it has the Congress to pre-finance the health insurance of its retirees for more than 5 billion per year. Will it display this year a loss of 7 billion instead without it for a profit of $ 1.2 billion, according to the American Postal Workers Union.

l frozen Japanese postal privatization

Haro on the privatization of Japan post. The process initiated by the previous Conservative Government, is denounced by one of Yukio Hatoyama, center-left in place for two months. Better, the new Prime Minister made this issue one of the symbols of the break with the policy of his predecessors. It is therefore partially freeze privatization and review the structure of the group. Because the Japanese position is regarded as the largest bank in the world. In fact, it holds a large part of the savings of the country, with more than half on deposit accounts. Already transformed into a holding company of private law 100 owned by the State, the Japanese position has four subsidiaries Manager savings, insurance, mail and post offices. According to the original schema, these entities were to be sold to investors private between 2010 and 2017. The new Prime Minister has changed, end of October, the President of the post and the discussion on the future of the establishment begin until next year. The idea is to focus on public service missions, a network of 24,000 offices to become somewhat administrative databases, real state relay.