The German postman can be faster, but for more money

"The consumer can decide at what pace his letter travels," announces Thomas Ogilvie from the management of the Post Office.

In other countries this is not unusual, but in Germany it could be tricky. From bureaucracy to advertising, there is still a lot of reliance on paper here. Although the number of letters is decreasing, it is still about fifteen billion letters per year.

In addition, the Post chronically fails when it comes to the legally prescribed goal - that at least four fifths of letters arrive the next day, if they are sent within the country.

Does it also help the climate?

Now there are efforts to introduce "express letters" that will actually arrive in one day, but will cost more. The Federal Government intends to make this possible by changing the law.

"There are letters that are urgent and must arrive the next day," State Secretary Franciska Brantner from the Ministry of Economy told Zidojce Zeitung.

Other letters can wait a bit. "It would also help the climate, because a significantly larger part of shipments could be transported by rail instead of airplanes, which harm the environment," added Brantner from the Green Party.

The Post Office says that the number of letters will decrease due to modern methods of communication, but that they are not worried about the future of their business. "Ultimately, the country needs functional letter delivery first," Ogilvy said.

Currently, the delivery of a postcard costs 70 cents, a classic letter 85 cents (up to 20 grams of weight), and the largest letter-package can contain up to two kilograms and costs 3,99 euros. For all heavier and larger ones, the service of sending packages is used.

The union votes on the strike

In previous years, more and more people complained that uncles and aunts in yellow and dark uniforms of the Post Office were bringing their letters later than they should. The concern justified this by a large number of sick days and a general lack of manpower.

These days, through the union ver.di, these workers are demanding a 15 percent higher salary. Starting today, union members are voting on whether to go on strike.

Ogilvije told reporters that the Post Office cannot provide such an offer, and threatened that this company will start hiring subcontractors, just like package delivery people do.