Chunghwa Post Co (中華郵政) yesterday said that all 287 post offices nationwide that are open on Saturdays would stay open, although with reduced hours at most of them.
The state-run company operates 1,311 post offices nationwide. Of the 287 that are open on Saturdays, 16 are open all day.
The announcement came in the face of mounting public criticism over a proposal to cancel Saturday service hours at about half of the offices after the Lunar New Year holiday to comply with the government’s new regulations on work hours.
Photo: CNA
Minister of Transportation and Communications Hochen Tan (賀陳旦) reportedly asked the company to reconsider the closures, as it would inconvenience the public.
Chunghwa Post spokesperson Wang Shu-min (王淑敏) said that the company decided that all post offices offering Saturday services would remain open.
“Some people need access to postal services on weekends because they do not have time on weekdays. We therefore decided that the 287 offices that operate on Saturday will remain open,” she said, dismissing reports that the decision was influenced by Hochen.
However, the company said it would reduce Saturday service hours due to the labor restrictions. Service on Saturdays will start at 9am — instead of 8:30am — and end at noon.
Exceptions are the post office at the National Palace Museum, which will be open from 8:30am to 8:30pm on Saturdays and from 8:30am to 6:30pm on Sundays; and in Lienchiang County’s Beigan District, which will be open from 7:30am to 11:30am on Saturdays.
The new Saturday service hours are to start on Feb. 25.
Kaohsiung’s Fogong District (佛公) post office is to be added to the list of those open on Saturdays, with the office open every second Saturday of the month
Also starting on Feb. 25, post offices will not accept mail for prompt delivery or parcels on weekends, nor will couriers retrieve mail. People needing to send urgent mail are encouraged to take advantage of Chunghwa’s express mail service, Wang said.
Company data showed that post offices nationwide handle an average of 300,000 prompt delivery letters and parcels per month on Saturdays.
The decision to maintain Saturday services would cost about NT$200 million (US$6.44 million), per year, Wang said, adding that the firm should not have any problem handling the increased costs.
Wang said the company has reached an agreement with the Chunghwa Postal Workers’ Union that employees working on Saturdays would be paid overtime.
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