Every day, ZdG readers contact the editorial office asking for answers to numerous questions about the way the press is distributed to subscribers. They want to know why the periodicals are late in reaching subscribers, and why some post offices in several towns are closed.

A few days ago, a reader from the village of Pereni, Rezina district, contacted us complaining that the village post office had been closed, that all its activity had been transferred to the post office in the village of Trifești, and that the people of Trifești did not know how to solve the problem of distributing newspapers to the readers of Pereni. “I called Orhei, phone number 22375. There they told me that they are looking for a man to hire, but they haven’t found him yet. I haven’t received the newspaper for three weeks. What should I do if they bring me old newspapers? What should I do next year? Should I subscribe or not? We are old, we don’t have access to the internet, we don’t have TVs with different programmes. Our only source of information is newspapers. It’s time to do without them too,” she told us.

Maria Badan from the village of Clișova, Orhei also phoned to tell us that ZdG has more subscribers in the village, but that they no longer have a postman. “I think we will run out of newspapers,” Maria Badan told us. We also received similar messages from Calarasi, Rascani and Anenii Noi.

We asked the Moldovan Post Office

In connection with the fact that we are receiving more and more requests from ZdG subscribers who are unhappy about problems in the press distribution process, we asked the Post Office of Moldova to provide answers to the most important questions from readers:

• How many post offices are currently operating in Moldova and how many of them have been closed or are about to be liquidated?
• What solutions are identified for localities that remain without post offices?
• How is the Moldovan Post Office dealing with the problem of the lack of postmen in several localities?
• How is the work of postmen remunerated?
• Are there or are there not differences in salaries between those who work in one village and those who deliver mail in 2-3 villages?
• Low wages do not encourage the unemployed to take up the postman’s job. Is there any prospect of increasing postal workers’ salaries?
• How are postal workers provided with the necessary footwear and equipment to do their job?
• How will the newspaper and magazine subscription campaign for the year 2024 be carried out at a time when several post offices are being liquidated?
• What is happening to the process of distributing pensions to the elderly and disabled in these localities?

Answers received by ZdG

The Moldovan Post Office provided answers to our questions, explaining that there are currently 1134 postal units operating in Moldova. Following the reorganization of the institution, 40 offices were closed, which were selected taking into account the volume of services provided and the results of their work.

According to the officials of the Moldovan Post, the reorganization concept included solutions for the localities where the activity of the post offices was stopped. Thus, in order to serve each locality and to ensure the continuity of service provision, in some localities the distribution sectors were merged, with the post office that is most conveniently located in terms of access to the population being maintained. In other localities, post offices have been set up at the post office of residence. “The distribution of pensions to elderly and disabled people is carried out FREE of charge, at their homes, on the basis of the applications submitted”, the reply of the Moldovan Post Office also says.

From the answers provided by the institution we learn that the number of vacancies for the postman’s position is variable, but does not exceed the limit of 5%, the salaries being calculated according to the workload. In 2022, the salaries of employees (postmen, operators) were increased by about 20-30%. The Moldovan Post also claims that centralized purchases of equipment for employees of the enterprise are organized annually.

About the next Subscription Campaign, employees of the Moldovan Post claim that it will take place with the inclusion of new promotional tools, which will boost sales. “The suspension of the activity of post offices has no impact on the conduct of the Subscription Campaign,” we find in the response provided to ZdG by Post Moldova.