BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – MAIL carriers and postal clerks in St. Kitts-Nevis have joined the international community in celebrating today (Oct. 9) as World Post Day, a day to honour those in the mail service and the many developments over the years.
World Post Day marks the anniversary of the establishment of the United Nation’s Universal Postal Union. Instituted in 1874, the union was designed to promote and coordinate postal policies among its member countries and ensure that services provided remain efficient.
This year, the day is celebrated under the theme ‘A postal service committed to green growth’.
As part of the celebrations, primary schools made visits to the Basseterre General Post Office and learned more about the postal service.
In an interview with SKNVibes, Postmaster General Sandra Davoren stated that she is pleased with the developments in the nation’s postal services, identifying the introduction of barcode labels and the computerization of the service as two of the major advancements.
“Based on the demands of customers these days, we have to stay on the cutting-edge. I see more technological innovations in the near future, and because of that I see other services coming on-stream, particularly financial services,” Davoren said.
While the post has historically been viewed as a social service, according to Davoren, it is necessary to readjust its functionality more toward that of a business for modern times. She also noted that postal services have seen numerous challenges over the past decades, most of them resulting from the advancements in technology.
“I don’t think that it is quite correct to say that postal services are outdated. I think what is happening is that a lot of the services that we provide need modernization. I can see some challenges in terms of mail volume that result in some choosing electronic mail, but the post will be here forever,” she said, adding that the post office must now seek out its current market niche.
She indicated that the drop in mail volume translates to a drop in revenue. Compounding exiting challenges, the post offices have been constantly trying to stay on the cutting edge of technology.
“It is very important to readjust because like everything else, you have to stay on the cutting-edge. We don’t not have a choice; it’s either we keep up or be left behind,” Davoren said.
While there are still improvements to be made in the nation’s overall postal service, Davoren worded her satisfaction in the quality of services that the post office offers and used the opportunity to thank all of its customers and workers.
“I would like to say a big thanks to all persons on St. Kitts and Nevis who use the services of the post office. I’d also like to say a special thanks to our cooperate partners, and we are here ready and willing to get advice from them as to how we can better serve them.
“And to the workers, I want to encourage them to provide even more efficient and better service to the customers,” she concluded.
The post office provides various services, including money and postal orders, Social Security payments, regional money transfer, first and second-class mail and frank mail services. It also offers philatelic services, express mail, customs clearance, postman delivery and addressee only services.
Today, the Postal Administration of St. Kitts and Nevis has six post offices and employs over 100 postal workers. Additionally, a post office in the Tabernacle area is expected to be opened by the end of the year.
