The ULC has contacted economy minister Franz Fayot (LSAP)--the Post is 100% owned by the state--to express its disagreement with the recent developments. It also requested an urgent meeting. For the union, online postal services are not an adequate substitution for the closed offices as elderly people are less adept at using those and often need a clerk’s assistance.
“The restructuring measures of the Luxembourg Post are going in the wrong direction. They no longer take into account the needs of the customers,” the ULC stated in a press release, adding that “the only objective of this streamlining is to increase profits at the expense of customers.”
Social contacts will also be reduced as a result of the closure of the postal offices, the union pointed out. ULC believes that this could contribute to the loss of a sense of community.
The Post's restructuring which as a project started in 2015 is intended implement extended opening hours, better customer service and a central location and a simpler access by public transport.
“Especially in small offices, these improvements are often very difficult to implement,” outlines the Post.
With regard to servicing the elderly population, the government-owned company offers some of its services through letter carriers at the customer's homes. This allows people to use their postman for the usual postal and financial services such as withdrawing or depositing money and send letters without visiting an office of the Post at no extra cost.
In 2021 . For the union, the rise of mobile banking services opens the door to a negative impact not just on older clients but also on young people who may want to withdraw cash or make transfers in person. In 2020, Luxembourg bank also decided to permanently close seven of its 41 branches in a shift to digital banking as it had observed a move towards e-banking during and after the lockdown. In June 2021, announced that 12 of its 16 branches will only be accessible by appointment and that it intended to focus on digital support for customers, also citing the pandemic as a trend setter.
In its past efforts, the ULC had contacted the finance ministry and introduced a petition demanding at least a revision of transactions fees and pro-cash policies. These requests have been unsuccessful.
Updated on 13 April at 9.50am to include comments from the Post.