The number of closed post office branches in Valašské Meziříčí in the Vsetín Region will probably remain unchanged, as three of the four branches in the town will close, according to plans by the Czech Post. A possibility is the creation of a Post Office Partner Plus, the operation of which would have to be ensured by the town hall. This is the result of a meeting between the town’s management and representatives of the Czech Post, according to Jakub Mikuš, a spokesman for the town hall.
“Representatives of the post office have proposed the possibility of establishing a so-called Post Office Partner Plus in the building of the town office in Zašovská Street instead of the existing branch. However, its operation, including staffing, would be fully paid for by the town and we would have to pay a monthly flat fee of around CZK 30,000. All in all, we are talking about costs exceeding half a million crowns per year. That is why we are waiting for a detailed calculation from the post office and we will continue to negotiate,” said Mayor Robert Stržínek (ANO).
The town hall has previously said it does not agree with the closure of three branches in the town of about 22,000 inhabitants. “The way we were informed about the closure of three of the four functioning post offices in our city was completely inappropriate. Without any further analysis or negotiations, we were informed that the branches in J. K. Tyl, Masarykova and Zašovská streets will close by the last day of June this year,” Stržínek said.
“The post office in J. K. Tyla is widely used by our seniors, and in Masarykova Street we are talking about local businesses and residents of Bynina. Compared to the main post office by the square, the branch in the municipal office building on Zašovská Street has barrier-free access, better parking options and last year alone we as a city paid nearly CZK 2.2 million for postage there. Even though we understand the economic reasons that lead the post office and the state to restrict traffic, the chosen approach is absolutely unsystematic,” said the mayor.
At the end of April, he held talks with representatives of the post office. “We wanted to know the reasons that led the post office to decide to close all branches in Valašské Meziříčí, except for the main one near the square. This post office does not have adequate barrier-free access, lacks parking capacity and can be expected to collapse under the onslaught of clients,” said Stržínek. Representatives of the post office have informed the city administration that they do not plan to change the final number of branches to be closed. “However, they said they will focus on addressing the issue of accessibility and ensuring that the counters of the main post office are sufficiently staffed to avoid unnecessary queues. Post office staff will also instruct senior citizens who still collect their pensions at the counter to use the option of having their money delivered to their homes,” the spokesman said.
The management of Vsetín, where three of the five branches are to be closed, said after a meeting with postal representatives that the branch in Ohrada, which the post office had planned to close, should remain open. A petition has also been launched against the closure of the branch in the town of about 25,000 inhabitants. Instead of the branch in Ohrada, the post office wants to close the branch in Rokytnice, and the branches in Sychrov and Luh should also cease to function. The town still wants to negotiate with the post office about closing the branch in Rokytnice.
According to information from the Czech Post, 14 branches in the Zlín Region should be closed. Three each in Vsetín and Valašské Meziříčí, two in Kroměříž, Uherské Hradiště and Uherský Brod in the Uherské Hradiště region and one each in Zlín and Rožnov pod Radhoštěm in the Vsetín region.
Source: CTK
