Post Official Supports Move Away from Dedicated Post Offices
The head of the supervisory board of the national postal service Eesti Post says it would be better for rural commercial centers to provide postal services rather than keep separate post offices open.
Meelis Atonen said postal services like Eesti Post are in a special situation compared to other service providers as they have universal service status: the state has decided that there must be at least one post office in every municipality.
"If postal service as a universal service is making a loss, the state would pay subsidies," he said on ETV. Banks can just focus on making a profit, he said, "but we provide a universal service and are obliged to keep a post office open for at least two hours on five days a week."
Today, he said, 320 to 330 of the 370 post offices have a secure position and the rest must figure out what to do.
Atonen noted that no one closes down an institution that generates a profit, but a loss must be covered at the expense of some other service. This, Atonen said, weakens a company.
He said a major problem is that people consume few actual postal services at post offices.
"I don't want to accuse anyone, but at times when we have planned reorganization, the local government people say that it isn't possible because people are used to getting together at the post office. I think a place for getting together is a community center, or cultural center."
The trend is even more marked due to the fact that traditional mailing of letters is becoming replaced by electronic channels.
He said that Eesti Post has already signed franchise agreements with local stores. "I think this franchise office is more beneficial for people living in rural areas than an official Eesti Post office, because Eesti Post offices are only open two hours a day.
Kristopher Rikken