Wednesday’s government working group proposed that the state-owned mail delivery company Posti reduce deliveries to three days a week from 2022 onwards.
The group justifies the reduction on the basis of five-day deliveries because Posti handles even less physical mail. Currently, households and businesses in many areas do not receive letter deliveries on Tuesdays.
Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday, Secretary of State Olli Koski said fewer delivery days improve cost efficiency for the company.
“This will, of course, lead to staff changes,” Koski stated.
According to the working group, the decline in the physical mail volume is faster than in many other European countries, according to the working group, this trend is unlikely to reverse after the end of the coronavirus crisis.
Last spring, however, Postireported boosted profits during the crisis, saying it delivered an additional million packages in the first quarter of 2020, up from a year earlier.
More subsidies
The working group proposed to Posti a temporary subsidy of EUR 10-15 million per year to support the delivery of everyday newspapers in rural areas. This support depends on the role of the state in securing the flow of information.
The working group also suggested that mailboxes be installed in apartment buildings instead of using individual mail slots found on the front doors of homes.
The Ministry of Transport and Communications is reviewing the working group’s proposal, but possible reforms still require changes to the Postal Act.
The Prime Minister’s Office set up a postal task force following the Postal scandals. At the end of last year, a protracted labor dispute between the state-owned postal company triggered chain events that culminated in the then prime minister. Antti Rinne to resign.
Last year, the former Post boss Heikki Malinen withdrew as a result of the “excessive pay” setback when he drew an annual salary of nearly one million euros. At the same time, postal workers earning an average of € 2,000 a month learned that they faced a 30-50% pay cut as part of management’s plan to move to a new pay structure.