Further to our Bulletin dated 13 November 2008 re Home Delivery Fees. VANA has been discussing a Home Delivery fee increase with HWT for quite some time and we are extremely disappointed to advise that Peter Blunden, Managing Director of HWT has informed us that we have not been granted an increase. He has stated the following:
“After giving the matter careful consideration, we have decided to seek alternative ways of addressing the issues raised”.
With that, VANA has announced that it has failed, again, to deliver for its members.
No wonder newsagents are quitting newspaper distribution.
In what other business is a service provider expected to carry cost increases every year in labour, fuel and other areas, cope with a reduction in margin and survive with no increase in service to compensate?
Newspaper publishers will wonder, at some point in the future, why newsagents abandoned what was the best newspaper distribution system in Australia. The answer can be found in this decision and many similar decisions which preceded it – to not pay a fair day’s pay for a fair day’s work by newsagents.
I know newspaper executives are concerned about the number of newsagents quitting home delivery. They invite such action with decisions such as this. Sadly, the VANA announcement contains no passion on behalf of newsagents.
I wonder who VANA used to prepare and represent its case? If this was done in-house or by VANA Board members then it has let its members down. On a case such as this, professional representation is essential so that the newsagent position and negotiation is as strong as the other side. Such a case would have included information on advertising rates as a comparison among other things.
Home delivery is a service by newsagents. It is only reasonable that they set the fee they cahrge for the service they provide.
I’m sure that VANA did all they could. Probably even threatened to hold their breath until they turned blue!
So VANA are “extremely disappointed” at HWT’s refusal to grant an increase in delivery fees – I certainly hope this extreme disappointment doesn’t impact on their push into marketing! The members should be ashamed that they have allowed VANA to waste time on such a trivial issue as delivery fees when they could be selling pens, cheap reading glasses and photo frames on N-Stock!
Can anyone explain to me why “Herald Sun delivery fees are currently the highest of any News Limited state capital newspaper” has anything to do with reality. All that says to me is that those poor buggers delivering in other states must be being robbed blind. Peter Blunden’s other comments are generally not applicable to small business – I haven’t seen dramatic drops in interest rates on business loans or credit cards, the price of petrol in the bush is still sky high (and will remain so) compared to the city, wages still increase annually and I don’t see a queue forming for the plumb position of wrapper/delivery driver (early starts a necessity).
VANA has failed yet again in properly representing members and the newly elected board seem to have gone to ground (again). HWT have bent VANA over the table on this one and will continue to do so with current VANA management in place.
Vote with your feet brothers and sisters – you would be better off spending your monthly VANA sub on drinks for the locals at the pub on Friday nights – at least the feedback is generally honest and believable – something VANA are incapable of.