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Swiss Post “must not cut” services

The head of the Postal Services Regulation Authority says that Swiss Post should not reduce any more of its basic services.

Presenting his annual report for 2009, Marc Furrer said that although more letters had arrived more punctually last year, ongoing cuts were alienating customers.

“Service to citizens should not be subject to more savings,” Furrer told the media on Wednesday. Examples from abroad have shown that opening up the market should not mean cuts at the same time, he added.

Faced with shrinking letter volumes as email replaces posted letters, Swiss Post has been looking to save money.

But a survey published last year showed that most Swiss wanted a traditional postal service. Around 57 per cent said that the complete deregulation of the letter delivery market as proposed by the cabinet made little or no sense at all.

Government-owned Swiss Post has recently come out of a turbulent period. In January new boss Claude Beglé resigned after an internal power struggle and disagreements over the company’s direction. A month later, 100 jobs were slashed from Swiss Post’s express and courier centres.

swissinfo.ch and agencies

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