Schwaab: La Poste must stop destroying its network

Office closures in Switzerland –

“La Poste must stop destroying its network”

Jean Christophe Schwaab, former national councilor (PS/VD) and vice-syndic of Bourg-en-Lavaux, calls for resistance against the strategy of the yellow giant.

BotTalk

• Jean Christophe Schwaab calls for resistance to postal office closures.
• He highlights the importance of postal services for unconnected people.
• The municipalities could join forces to put pressure on La Poste.
• Schwaab criticizes the economic impact and reduction of local jobs.

In a tweet, you call for resistance against postal office closures. What are you thinking?

As a citizen, I hope that people will mobilize and make La Poste understand that it can no longer continue to destroy the local network. I will participate in this mobilization! As an elected official from Bourg-en-Lavaux, I cannot answer you more precisely at the moment, because the executive has not yet established its strategy. We are waiting to see what La Poste intends to do in practice. Because I would like to point out that the company publicly announced the office cuts before even consulting the municipalities concerned. It’s inelegant.

Have you already contacted other affected municipalities?

It’s an option. Municipalities must stick together.

What levers would the municipalities have to put pressure on the yellow giant? Could you decide to review your relationships with some of its service providers, particularly IT?

Personally, I do not exclude any avenue. As long as there are alternatives on the market. But, again, it will be up to the executive to decide.

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Honestly, when was the last time you went to a post office counter?

Just before my vacation, three weeks ago. I go there about once a month. I post bulky packages or letters. I collect registered letters.

Do you also use postal digital services?

Yes. I make payments and deposits online. I generate stamps for simple letters. And I have my mail held before I go on vacation.

A postal counter is therefore not essential for you. Why are you so angry?

I especially fight for customers who really need postal offices. All these people who are not necessarily comfortable with online services. It’s not just about retirees. The digital divide affects many people. It also depends on income, level of training or even place of residence.

Couldn’t these people be supported in partner subsidiaries?

Certainly. But the problem is that these subsidiaries depend on the existence of a business. However, the latter can close or change its business model overnight. The sustainability of the services is not guaranteed.

Your municipality has more than 5000 inhabitants. She has more than one business. It will always be possible to set up a subsidiary, right?

We can never guarantee it. Small businesses have a hard time. Public service and its quality must not depend on other factors, such as the good economic health of third parties. Outsourcing tasks rarely leads to improved services. On the other hand, one thing is certain: good quality jobs will be crossed out.

Opinion surveys show that customers are more satisfied with branches than with counters. Why wouldn’t your fellow citizens be too?

The need for public service should not be determined by La Poste surveys. It must be done by a democratic decision. La Poste must certainly adapt to the needs of its customers, but it is first and foremost a public service company.

In fact, customers are going to the counter less and less. Isn’t it normal to close them?

The real question to ask is: do customers still need to go to the counter? If so, a local public service is justified. When I go to the counter, I am sometimes served right away. Other times I have to wait because there are four or five people in front of me. The counters are always busy. And we must not forget that attendance breeds attendance. After dropping off my package at the counter, I always go shopping or have a coffee in the business next door. If I had to go to La Poste in the neighboring village, I would shop a little less in Cully.

You are very upset against the closures of postal offices. But it was still a socialist, Christian Levrat, president of La Poste, who decided them. Isn’t that hypocritical?

You must not make the wrong decision about who is responsible. The chairman of the board of directors does not decide alone. La Poste’s policy is above all defined by its sole shareholder, namely the Federal Council with a bourgeois majority.