ITF translations available: English, Deutsch, Español, Français

Google free translation: Italiano, Norske, Português, Türk, 中国的, 한국의, Bahasa Melayu, ภาษาไทย, हिंदी, اردو, தமிழ், Kiswahili, Svenska, Русский, العربية

TNT

Thomas Nationwide Transport was founded in Australia in 1946, and initially focused on express delivery services only. The parent company TNT NV now incorporates two main brands TNT (express and logistics services) and Royal TPG Post, the national postal operator in the Netherlands, which also operates Europe and worldwide. The group employs over 160,000 people in 63 countries.

The company claims TNT Express has the biggest integrated express air and road network in Europe, while TNT Logistics is the second biggest logistics company in the world.

TNT has declared its adoption and support for the 10 principles of the United Nations Global Compact (www.unglobalcompact.org) with respect to human rights, labour (including union) rights and the protection of the environment.

FedEx

Federal Express was launched as an express transportation service in the US in 1973 and began expanding into the Asia Pacific region in the early 1980s. It acquired flying rights to 21 Asian countries and regions in 1989 through its purchase of the all-cargo airline the Flying Tigers.

It now employs over 138,000 staff and serves 378 airports worldwide.

The company claims to be the world’s largest express transportation company, transporting more than 3.2 million items in 220 countries per day. FedEx has more than 138,000 employees, 50,000 drop-off locations, 671 aircraft and 41,000 vehicles in its integrated global network.

Like all the other big integrators, the company has invested a great deal in IT. It has diversified its service to the extent of offering colour printing, internet access, videoconferencing and other services.

FedEx is widely considered to be anti-union and has the lowest union density of any of the Big Four integrators.

DHL

Since 2002 DHL has been wholly owned by Deutsche Post World Net, Europe’s biggest postal service provider, which consolidated all its express and logistics companies – including Deutsche Post Euro Express and Danzas – into the DHL brand in 2003.

The company was founded in San Francisco in 1969 when the founders Adrian Dalsey, Larry Hillblom and Robert Lynn began personally transporting papers by air. This allowed them to begin customs clearance of ships’ cargo ahead of the ships’ arrival, thereby reducing waiting time in the harbour. The company claims in this way to have been the founder of the international air express business.

By 1979 it was transporting not only papers but also packages. In 1988 DHL was present in 170 countries and employed 16,000 staff. Today it employs almost 350,000 staff and, on top of its express package delivery service, provides, road, rail, air and ocean freight transport as well as warehousing, distribution, supply chain management and other logistics solutions.

DHL has a variable relationship with the unions, but in several countries, including the US and India (see box), the relationship can be described as poor. The company tactic of widespread sub-contracting, allows it to sidestep many employee and trade union regulations and keep costs down, simply ending contracts and moving on when pressures mount for pay rises or union representation. At the same time the company achieves a consistent corporate image by insisting that subcontractors take on its yellow and red livery.

UPS

Founded in 1907 as a messenger company in the United States, UPS now employs 40,000 workers outside the US as well as 317,000 in its home country. It gives emphasis to the goal of “enabling commerce around the globe” The company claims it is the world’s largest package delivery company as well as being a global logistics provider.

The company has been recognised as a “good employer” in a number of corporate and ethical awards. A commitment to recognising and negotiating fairly with trade unions is enshrined in UPS’s company-wide “policy book” and it appears to maintain a generally positive relationship with the unions. However relations with the Teamsters have not fully recovered from a major dispute in 1997, which showed the potential of international campaigning for building on union power.

As well as strong rank and file support in the US, the strike gained international backing from the ITF and a strong campaign following in Europe, UPS’s most important market outside of north America. UPS ended the strike by conceding a favourable contract before simultaneous walkouts to be staged by unions in Belgium, Holland, France and Germany went ahead.