Cyprus postal service might eventually deliver
DESPITE some improvement in efficiency, the postal service is still failing to meet the delivery targets set by the European Union. For this failure, the service was fined £20,000 by the Regulatory Committee for Posts and Communications, which monitors whether EU delivery targets are met. This is the second fine imposed for the same reason in a little over a year and despite a marked improvement in delivery times, the fine amount has doubled since 2004.
For the EU, 80 per cent of local mail should reach its destination the day after it is posted but the Cyprus Postal Service delivers only 62.5 per cent the next day. Still, this is an improvement on what was happening in 2003, when the delivery percentage was only 40 per cent.
It has not been as efficient in delivering mail from abroad within the three-day delivery deadline, with only 38.8 per cent of letters arriving on time; the EU target is 85 per cent. As regards mail sent overseas, only 57.4 per cent reach its destination within three days – well short of the 85 per cent target.
While delivery times have improved – only a few years ago, a letter posted in Nicosia could take more than a week to arrive in Paphos – the Regulatory Committee was entitled to impose the fines because the service has consistently failed to reach the high standards set by the EU for its member-states.
Why is this so? More postal workers have been hired in the last few years and the management has had enough time to reorganise operations. In addition to this, the bulk of mail being delivered should be smaller now because of email and the fact that many businesses are using private firms when they want to ensure same- or next-day delivery.
It had been argued in the past that the postal service needed more autonomy and flexibility to offer an efficient service. The fact that it was state-controlled made decision-making a bureaucratic nightmare. Any change had to be processed by ministry bureaucrats – not the most efficient of operators – before it was submitted to the Council of Ministers for approval.
It could be that all the changes being sought were approved by the government, but restrictive union practices prevent the Service from meeting the targets sets by the EU. This is the next obstacle that needs to be overcome.
We should still applaud great improvement compared to a few years ago. The Postal Service might not have met the EU-set delivery targets yet but it is getting there. The marked improvement of the last year has showed that it can be done.
