Swiss Post: Postal legislation – Improvements needed

The parameters decided by the Federal Council for the new postal legislation must be improved. Swiss Post needs more entrepreneurial scope to provide a high-quality basic service in the future and to succeed against growing competition from international contenders in the free market. In setting political requirements it is thus calling for a more restrictive stance. Swiss Post is unable to understand why the Federal Council has not proposed a constructive solution for the further development of PostFinance. This is a missed opportunity not only for a successful Swiss Post Group but also for Switzerland’s economy as a whole.
Swiss Post wants to provide a high-quality basic service in the free market too, as decided by the Federal Council. However, it will only be able to do this in the long term if the parameters are right. Under free competition, Swiss Post needs more flexible legal operating conditions so that it can act in an entrepreneurial way in the dynamic logistics and financial services markets. An open company purpose is crucial for this.
Adjust basic service in line with customer needs
Swiss Post will continue to maintain a dense network of access points. However, it is the customer who is at the heart of the basic service and not age-old structures. A detailed statutory infrastructure mandate will prevent Swiss Post from reacting quickly to changing customer needs. For instance, Swiss Post has seen that the needs of business customers are beginning to differ more and more from those of private customers.
Swiss Post needs room to manoeuvre
Swiss Post must be granted the necessary scope in order to ensure sustainable financing of its basic service; this is the only way that it can finance its services using its own resources. The financing of the basic postal service must be reinforced and more coherently integrated into the fund model proposed in the consultation draft. It should not be the case that the basic service provider is solely responsible for setting up the fund. A level playing field is needed for all providers in drawing up the working conditions. Swiss Post still advocates the development of an industry-wide collective employment agreement.
New discussion needed on further development
Just like other successful foreign postal organizations, PostFinance must develop into a fully-fledged retail bank, offering mortgages and credit independently. Swiss Post is unable to understand why the Federal Council has not proposed a constructive solution for the further development of PostFinance. This is a missed opportunity both for a successful Swiss Post Group and for Switzerland’s economy.