Mail delivery organizations - Committee approves amendment of Postal Law: signals green for progress
The old postal law is about to undergo a major facelift. On Wednesday, the economic committee of the Bundestag approved a plan that members of the traffic light coalition had already agreed on. The plenum is expected to approve it on Thursday, and the Bundesrat is set to review it in July. If the state chamber signs off on it, this will be the first major overhaul of the postal law since its inception in 1998. In those days, letters were far more significant than they are now, and e-commerce with its massive packages was still in its infancy.
According to the bill, which passed with a majority vote by the committee, the German Post is set to experience less pressure in the future. Instead of having to deliver 95% of the current mail within two working days after it's been thrown in, they'll have to do it within three working days. This means the post service can potentially save on costs by getting rid of airmail for domestic letters, advancing it in climate protection and cutting expenses. The unfortunate result for us consumers is that we'll have to wait longer on average for our letters to arrive.
The bill also deals with other aspects. Improving working conditions in the industry is one of them - heavier parcels weighing more than 20 kilograms should be delivered by two people by default unless suitable technical equipment is available. In that case, single-person delivery would still be allowed. Subcontractors, who are often criticized by unions, will be more closely monitored in the future.
Lastly, the use of letter and parcel machines is meant to be streamlined. They can now be counted towards fulfilling the branch network obligation requirement, meaning we might see more machines installed, especially in rural areas and city outskirts, and potentially do away with post offices where people are available to help. Municipalities will have a say in this decision, and the Federal Network Agency will be part of the process too.
