Swiss collect 100,000 signatures but post offices still close
100,000 signatures collected in eight weeks! But the Post Offices are still closed one after another!
Popular mobilization against the plan Swiss Post Office’s plan to dismantle the postal network is exceeding all expectations. In eight weeks, the UNI Post & Logistics affiliate, Syndicat de la Communication has got more than 100,000 petition signatures against post office closures. Meanwhile, the Swiss Post, has already closed or decided to close nearly 40 post offices. The official presentation of the petition to the General Directorate of Post, will be on June 13 in Berne, and the union says it will require an immediate halt to the closure of offices.
When the union launched the petition "No to the dismantling of the postal network (www.reseaupostal.ch) on March 20, the it announced its hope to collect 100,000 signatures before the end of May. It is two weeks in advance of its target that this ambitious goal has been reached: at the end of the daily count of signatures made 15 May there are 101'978 people who have expressed their opposition by signing the petition, to the closing of more 400 post offices.
This vast grassroots movement, created by the union has a similar intensity in all three language regions of Switzerland. This proves that the maintenance of a quality public postal service and a vast network of post offices is one that brings together people across the country. This popular support is encouraging in view of the likely launch by the union of a popular initiative in the Swiss parliament calling for the maintenance of an extensive postal network which is funded by a residual monopoly on mail and profits from the post bank.
But while the population is against the plan of dismantling the postal network, La Poste has already closed offices one after another! Since April 15 last, under pressure from the union, La Poste was forced to publish a list of 420 offices subject to "review", the Post Office has already closed or decided to close 40 offices. Two closures per day! What that means in reality is that La Poste has only a rhetoric of "reconsideration."
On 13 June on the Rathausplatz in Berne, the Union of Communication will take the opportunity to voice it has popular support for its claim: the immediate and unconditional stop to the closures of post offices.