Service-oriented - Die Schweizerische Post

with multi-modal transport. The ideal
mix of road and rail-based transport,
combined with intelligent transport planning
and the use of state-of-the-art vehicles,
is the key to success. We have already
achieved a good part of the
energy and climate goals ( 11, 12) we
set for 2010. We are confident that we
will reach the objectives of the Kyoto
Protocol.
However, we also comply with international
standards and agreements in
terms of social accountability. Since
2006, all suppliers have had to comply
in writing with our comprehensive social
and ethics code ( 13). In this way
we want to ensure that competition
among suppliers is based on the quality
of the service and not on working conditions
or low environmental standards.
The Postal Act is being revised. What
are your messages for the legislator?
Our uppermost goal in revising the Postal
Act is to go on providing an excellent
basic service for the whole of Switzerland.
However, we also want to remain a
socially responsible employer and ensure
our further development on the basis of
our own resources, i.e. be financially
independent. This means that there must
be fair rules for Swiss Post too. ( 7)
We are therefore supporting the residual
monopoly for letters. This is the best way
to finance our basic service. If the postal
market should nevertheless be deregulated,
there must first be clarity as to the
scope and financing of the basic service.
Here, the question is: What acceptance
and distribution network would a company
operate and how would it organize
delivery if it did not have to fulfil a basic
service mandate? It would build up several
hundred post offices, and not 2.500.
And it would not offer such a frequent
delivery service in more sparsely populated
regions. This difference between
our current postal network and one that
makes sense in operational terms accounts
for the additional costs of the
basic service. Today we can cover these
costs with the letters monopoly. If parliament
lowers the monopoly limit further
or if the market is fully liberalized, financing
of the basic service or of other
political requirements imposed by the
Federal Council would no longer be ensured,
and new rules would have to be
drawn up.
Wherever Swiss Post faces competition,
the same, fair operating conditions
would have to apply to all market players
– again, the concept of a level playing
field. We would like to be able to employ
our staff under the terms of the
Swiss Code of Obligations – just as our
competitors do. To ensure that our em-
Annual Verantwortungsbewusst
Report | Interview
“I have noticed that understanding
of the need for change has
grown, both within the company
and among the public.”
ployees do not suffer from competition,
we are in favour of collective employment
contracts for the entire industry.
11
Read more online
www.swisspost.ch/ar2006links
6) The Federal Council’s strategic objectives for
Swiss Post 2006–2009
7) Swiss Post before reform of postal legislation
8) Post office network: the only constant is change
9) Swiss Post and attractive letter prices
10) Public Officials Act
11) Swiss Post’s environmental objectives
12) Climate change and political initiatives
13) Social and ethics code