Government Kyriakos Mitsotakis decided to region the caput Ελληνικά Ταχυδρομεία (EΛTA) Grigorios Sklikas aft a monolithic ungraded caused by the closure of 204 station offices crossed the country.
The determination was a absorption to a wave of nationalist and parliamentary indignation.
Information astir “freezing” of branches appeared connected the evening of November 30 and caused a storm of protests. Residents of the provinces and postal employees demanded that the determination beryllium reversed, arguing that it would pb to the isolation of full areas.
The premier minister’s bureau hastened to region itself from the scandal, declaring done sources that “all decisions connected ΕΛTA are made Υπερταμείο” However, society perceived this arsenic an effort to abdicate responsibility.
Mitsotakis blamed G. Sklikas for the chaos and ruin of ELTA. pic.twitter.com/RZg8rMlbqo
— Athens News (@russianathens) November 4, 2025
Under unit from nationalist opinion, the institution announced a three-month suspension of closures, but the situation was already retired of control. Nikitas Kaklamanisthe president of parliament, admitted that helium had received appeals from much than thirty deputies who were outraged by the actions of the ΕΛTA leadership.
Minister of Economy Kostis Hadzidakis conveyed the occupation personally to the premier minister. The effect was predictable – the resignation of the director. “Someone has to leave, and this, of course, is not the premier minister,” they commented with irony successful parliament.
Sklikas resignation letter
In a missive to Υπερταμείο – (Greek State Asset Super Fund)* Grigorios Sklikas stressed that helium accepted the presumption successful 2023, leaving his planetary vocation to “serve the country.” He noted that ETA is successful a hard situation owed to a 90% driblet successful missive volumes, outdated technology and immense operating costs. According to him, closing non-performing branches is the lone way to support the company’s solvency.
“If measures are not taken, wage payments whitethorn beryllium threatened successful the coming months,” helium warned, adding that “dialogue connected betterment has go intolerable under unit from politicians and section deputies.”
After the missive was published Superfund informed parliament that helium would judge the Superfund, and the gathering of the applicable commissions connected ETA issues was postponed. Meanwhile Socrates Famellos from SYRIZA demanded that the hearings continue, accusing the authorities of “hushing up the disaster”.
Epilogue: a systemic illness under the guise of “reforms”
The story of ΕΛΤΑ is not conscionable the story of 1 atrocious absorption decision. This is simply a reflector of the deeper malaise of the Greek administration, where reforms often turn into chaotic cuts and work into a hunt for “scapegoat“. Kyriakos Mitsotakis showed that helium knows however to sacrifice radical for the involvement of an representation of stability, but not systems for the involvement of the future.
In the lawsuit of ΕΛΤΑ, the authorities tried to person society that the situation could beryllium stopped by firing 1 person. But nary resignation will reconstruct citizens’ trust successful nationalist services, which are slowly dying retired betwixt bureaucracy and commercialization. When a state begins to enactment similar a backstage corporation, it loses what makes it a state—its work to society.
If the trend continues, greek post will beryllium conscionable different reminder that reforms without strategy is simply a rebranding of decline.
Reference:
Υπερταμείο is simply a Hellenic Corporation of Assets and Participations (HCAP) super fund.
It is simply a structure created under unit from creditors successful 2016 to negociate state-owned enterprises, existent property and shares successful companies connected behalf of the Greek state, but with maximum autonomy and outer power – successful peculiar from the European Commission and the ECB.
She owns stakes successful strategic state-owned companies, such arsenic ΔΕΗ (State Electric Network), ΕΥΔΑΠ (athens water supply), ΕΛΠΕ (Greek Oil Refineries) and of people ΕΛΤΑ (Greek Post).
In this case, Υπερταμείο:
- formally controls ΕΛΤΑ and makes decisions connected enforcement appointments, investments and “network optimization”;
- became a convenient shield for the government, which declared that “decisions connected ΕΛΤΑ are made not by the Cabinet, but by Υπερταμείο” – that is, nary substance however overmuch we are to blame, but an autarkic structure.
In essence, this is simply a tool for governmental relief: work for the ungraded with the closure of branches was shifted to the foundation, and then Sklikas was removed successful bid to prevention the government’s reputation.
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