A SHELLHARBOUR area Australia Post franchisee has criticised the company for making it harder for licensed post offices to survive.
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The franchisee for Warilla and Shellharbour Village post offices, Angela Cramp, believes Australia Post should do more to help ensure post offices run by people such as herself remain viable and provide a valuable community service.
Australia Post chief executive Ahmed Fahour last week said the company would cut 900 jobs and that all government-run post offices would open on Saturdays.
Ms Cramp believes this will have a detrimental affect on businesses such as hers.
"It's really galling. We purchase a franchise and the right to operate. When we do that, we enter into what's supposed to be a good faith and mutually beneficial agreement that's not happening," she said.
"At the moment it's hardly economical for us to open on a Saturday. Now the government-owned post offices are going to be open and be in direct competition with licensees, it's ridiculous."
Ms Cramp said many licensed post office open on Saturday mornings as a community service.
"We would open on a Saturday so people could come in and collect parcels or get their passport done or pay their bills."
She also disagrees with the push to encourage people to use mail services online.
"They're pushing people to pay their bills online and use digital mail boxes but for us having people come in and pay bills and that sort of thing is how we survive."