The Latvian Postal Service (Latvijas Pasts) had decided to close or reorganize 105 of the 176 post offices across the country. It has caused outrage in the public space. Beāte Krauze-Čebotare, head of Latvijas Pasts, said that as the number of letters and subscribed press decreased, the postal service was in a financially difficult situation.
Minister of Transport Kaspars Briškens (Progressives) confirmed to Latvian Television that the reorganization of post offices has been suspended.
“The former, distinctly chaotic reform has been put on hold,” the minister said. “That process, which had started this year with this new planned wave of department closures, was not being communicated well enough. This volume of departmental closures was also exaggerated. The postal service was focusing more on its financial profitability, putting the continuity of these important services at the background.”
Krauze-Čebotare said that the pace of reorganization of post offices would certainly not be as originally planned.
“'In every individual place, we will be looking for an individual solution. Of course, there is a question of how much that individual solution will cost, it will have to be seen in the context of potential subsidies,” she said.
Meanwhile, the Parliamentary Secretary of the Ministry of Transport Ģirts Dubkēvičs said on the social network “X” that the “Latvian Post” needs to “modernize, but it should not be guided only by profit and without a clear strategy on alternatives.”
“Postal service needs to look for new ways to generate revenue. New export markets,” added Minister Briškens.
