Trade unions say they have collected enough signatures to force a nationwide vote aimed at preserving the network of state-owned post offices across the country.
This content was published on
1 minute
Campaigners from the Communication union handed in more than 110,000 signatures for their initiative at the federal chancellery on Thursday.
The initiative, which is backed by the centre-left Social Democrats, seeks to halt any further opening up of the postal market to private competitors.
In the last few years Swiss Post has closed down about 900 offices mainly in rural regions. A further 400 offices are at risk.
The company said the initiative was counterproductive as it undermined plans for a more consumer-friendly service.
During its autumn session parliament is due to resume discussions on plans to fully open the mail market. The Senate has already come out in favour, while the House of Representatives is to tackle the issue later this month.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Swiss want traditional postal service preserved
This content was published on
Some 57 per cent of Swiss believe that the complete deregulation of the letter delivery market as proposed by the cabinet in May makes very little or no sense at all. The survey, carried out by the research institute gfs.berne on behalf of the Swiss Post found that two-thirds of those questioned agree with the…
This content was published on
Two board members and the CEO have all left Swiss Post in recent weeks, mainly in disagreement over the group’s business strategy. Newly appointed chairman Claude Béglé is an advocate for change and wants the government-owned entity to diversify and seek out foreign sources of revenue. Béglé was recently quoted as saying he wanted to…
This content was published on
Béglé believes that it is a time of change for the company, which has to straddle both innovation and tradition. Most Swiss attach great importance to the services provided by Swiss Post and do not want the complete deregulation of the letter delivery market as proposed by the government in May, according to a survey…
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.