Dutch mail company TNT NV said on Saturday it had filed a competition complaint at a German court against Deutsche Post unit First Mail, demanding fair competition in Germany. TNT, Europe's second-largest mail and delivery group after Deutsche Post, has complained about a lack of a level playing field in Germany for some years, citing issues including minimum wage requirements and value added tax.

"The case involves First Mail, a 100 percent subsidiary of Deutsche Post," said a TNT spokeswoman. "An injunction has been requested and the hearing will be on Thursday," she said, adding that the case was lodged at a court in Duesseldorf. A spokesman for Deutsche Post said: "We think this is unfounded from both a content and legal point of view."

German magazine Der Spiegel said in a story it will publish on Monday that TNT had asked for cartel procedures against First Mail. The magazine reported TNT as saying in the filing that First Mail and media group WAZ want to monopolise postal delivery in North Rhine Westphalia, a state bordering on the Netherlands and eliminate chances for TNT to participate.

Copyright Reuters, 2010