TFL Vsebine / Revija Javna uprava

V zadnjih letih kljub tehnološkemu napredku in spremenjenim navadam prebivalstva ni bilo ne drastičnega zmanjševanja števila poslovalnic ne upada kakovosti poštnih storitev. Poleg vpliva sindikatov v Pošti Slovenije kot nacionalnem poštnem operaterju je zapiranje poštnih poslovalnic za lokalno in državno oblast velika bolečina, ki se skoraj gotovo (če do nje pride) pokaže tudi na volitvah. Je pa treba poudariti, da so poštne poslovalnice najgosteje posejana mreža neposrednega stika države z državljani. Predlog racionalizacije poslovanja Pošte Slovenije zato ne bi smel iti v smeri zmanjševanja števila poštnih poslovalnic, temveč v smeri dodatnih možnosti izrabe te infrastrukture, ki se je vzpostavljala 50 let. Izjemen primer je italijanski nacionalni poštni operater Poste Italiane, na katerega je država »prenesla« več upravnih storitev. Bi pa bila za kaj takega pri nas potrebna predvsem politična volja, morebiti potrebne zakonske spremembe bi že sledile. Žal se je namreč relevantna zakonodaja za področje poštnih storitev pretežno sprejemala v nekih drugih časih. Lahko bi rekli, da je bil poštni sektor reguliran v analogni dobi, ko je bil poudarek celotne storitve na pošiljki, prevzemnik pa je bil zgolj na koncu. Toda danes smo v digitalnem svetu, dela pa se torej še vedno po zakonodaji iz leta 2009.

In recent years, despite technological advances and evolving public habits, neither the number of branches nor the quality of postal services has fallen markedly. Besides the influence of the trade unions within Slovenian national postal operator – Pošta Slovenije, any closure of post offices causes acute concern for local and national authorities and would almost certainly be reflected in election results if it occurred. It must also be emphasised that post offices constitute the most extensive, face-to-face network linking the state with its citizens. Accordingly, proposals to rationalise the operations of Pošta Slovenije should not focus on reducing the number of post offices but on expanding the ways this 50-year-old infrastructure can be used. A striking example is the Italian national postal operator, Poste Italiane, to which the state has “transferred” a wide range of administrative services. Achieving something similar in Slovenia would, however, require political will, followed—inevitably—by the necessary legal changes. Unfortunately, most of the legislation governing postal services was enacted long ago. One could say that the sector was regulated in the analogue era, when the entire service revolved around the consignment, and the recipient was merely the end-point. Today, we live in a digital world, yet operations are still conducted under legislation dating from 2009.

The Postal Service—A Strategic, Near-Critical Infrastructure in Need of Reform