Blogs
Shipping Incident bulletin 15th November 2019
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This week’s bulletin contains updates about: Finland, Australia, Israel, Lebanon, Chile, Colombia, Brazil, Japan.
Finland – strike
Start date: 11th November
End date: 24th November
The postal workers’ union strike is taking place 11 – 24.11.2019.
Also  some  transport  trade  unions  have  announced  to  support  for strike.
Aviation  trade  union  (IAU)  support  measures  would  target  at  mail handling at the airport.
Therefore, there is an embargo, both for inbound and outbound airmail.
The Office of Exchange will not be able to operate during the strike period. This information applies to letter, EMS and parcel mail.
Mail deliveries injected by road are working, but might be delayed.
We will keep you updated of any changes of the situation.
Australia
Start date: 11th November
End date: Ongoing
AÂ severe weather event, with bushfires in regional New South Wales, is affecting the collection and delivery of all mail products within postcode areas 2424, 2427, 2428, 2429, 2430, 2443 and 2446. There will also be impacts on mail flows into and out of Australia, owing to difficulties in transporting mail to and from the aforementioned areas.
Israel
Start date: 12th November
End date: Ongoing
Israel Postal informs that interruptions and delays in the distribution and collection of mail (letter-post, parcels and EMS items) in the south and centre of Israel are to be expected as a result of the security situation in those regions.
Lebanon
Start date: 13th November
End date: Ongoing
The designated operator of Lebanon, LibanPost, informs other Union member countries and their designated operators that operations at the office of exchange and all post offices and distribution offices are currently suspended as a result of demonstrations and road blockages in various cities of Lebanon since Wednesday, 13 November 2019.
Chile
Start date: 20th October
End date: Ongoing
The designated operator of Chile, CorreosChile, informs other Union member countries and their designated operators that, as a result of social and political unrest since Sunday, 20 October 2019, CorreosChile is still experiencing delays in the processing and delivery of inbound and outbound postal items (letter post, small packets, parcels and EMS items).
CorreosChile is working diligently and making every effort to return to operational normality as soon as possible.
Start date:Â 12th November
End date: 12th November
Airport workers join national strike: workers of the Santiago Airport will join the national strike called for November 12. Delays to air mail handling and customs clearance processes should be expected.
Colombia
Start date: 21st November
Expected end date: 21st November
Airport personnel to join nationwide strike: Civil Aviation Workers Union will join a nationwide strike in Colombia on November 21. At least half of the union’s 3,000 members, including air traffic personnel, technicians, aeronautical information and administrative personnel, are expected to participate in the strike, beginning with a rally between 6 am and 10 am local time.
Brazil
Start date: 11th November
End date: Ongoing
Heavy rain disrupts airport operations: On November 11, heavy rain in the area of Rio de Janeiro has led to the temporary suspension of all flight takeoffs from Santos Dumont Airport. Landslides have been reported in the area and flooding of some rivers is expected as rains are forecast to intensify.
Japan – Customs inspection – reminder
Start date: 25th March
The customs inspection of inbound mail in Japan is being strengthened as part of counter-terrorism measures in connection with the following events taking place in Japan: – G20 Osaka Summit 2019 and related ministerial meeting; – Rugby World Cup 2019; – Seventh Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD7); – 2020 Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games. Therefore, Japan Post would like to request the kind cooperation of all designated operators in conducting thorough inspections of the contents of mail items without exception, in accordance with UPU Convention article 20; – ensuring that all international mail items are accompanied by the required documents (certificate of origin, health certificate, invoice, etc.), where applicable; – not accepting any prohibited or dangerous goods, in accordance with UPU Convention articles 19.2 and 19.3.
Mail shipments to Japan In accordance with UPU Convention Regulations article 20-001, items to be submitted to customs control shall bear on the front a CN 22 or CN 23 customs declaration form. Customs declarations are to be completed in full in order to facilitate rapid clearance of items. Items containing goods to which a customs declaration form is not attached or for which the sender’s and the recipient’s full name and address, the contents, the number of items and the value are not indicated correctly in English, French or Japanese may experience unexpected customs clearance delays or may not be allowed into Japan. Filling out customs declaration forms Designated operators are asked to take the necessary steps to ensure that: – a customs declaration form (e.g. CN 22 or CN 23) is attached when necessary; – customers accurately describe the item’s contents. For example, simply indicating “clothing†is not sufficient. Customers should indicate the specific clothing item, such as jacket, pants, T-shirt, etc. “Gift†is not acceptable. The specific gift item should be indicated, such as wine, doll and so on; – customers indicate the quantity, weight and value of each article, as well as the currency (e.g. USD for U.S. dollars, EUR for euros); – customers attach the required documents, such as an invoice or receipt, where applicable.