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Postal bike in Bad Reichenhall (symbol image)
Photo: IMAGO/Rolf Poss
The postal service can be slower - the Ministry of Economic Affairs has spoken out in favor of this in a key issues paper on the amendment to the postal law.
The previous requirement that at least 80 percent of the letters had to reach the recipient one working day after the mailbox was emptied is "hardly helpful," writes the ministry.
"Because the sender doesn't know whether his letter belongs to the 80 percent or not."
The Federal Network Agency is to be given more powers to check the quality of the post.
"Effective shipment tracking" could increase transparency for users and support the Federal Network Agency in monitoring delivery times.
In order to be able to increase the pressure on Swiss Post due to numerous complaints, the regulatory authority had called for sanctions against Swiss Post.
The draft now says that if the legal requirements are “seriously, repeatedly or persistently” undercut, the Federal Network Agency must be able to impose effective sanctions.
Changed requirements
The ministry writes that user expectations of the various postal services have changed over time.
“These days, the focus is on reliability and commitment with letters, and speed and predictability with parcels.” The plans are intended to respond to this.
In the coalition agreement, the traffic light made it its task to amend the outdated postal law.
It was last thoroughly revised in 1999, a time when letters were much more important than in today's internet age.
The post has been criticized for some time because of problems with deliveries: Last year, the staffing level was so thin in some places that letters arrived very late or not at all.
The number of consumer complaints to the Federal Network Agency roughly tripled in 2022 compared to 2021.
ani/bem/dpa