CRUSHED BY COURIERS
Postal service left behind by 1941 law as it struggles to modernise, compete with unregulated companies
Published:Wednesday | July 16, 2025 | 12:10 AMCorey Robinson/Senior Staff Reporter
Jamaica’s postal service has been forced to renovate and rebrand to keep up with technological advancements since the enactment of the Post Office Act of 1941, but that task is reportedly being made more challenging with a burgeoning unregulated courier service sector on the island.
The days of mailing letters at post offices have been overtaken by social media and other communications platforms which provide real-time interaction for Jamaicans, explained Lincoln Allen, postmaster-general and CEO of Jamaica Post.
Now, the focus is on generating revenue through the mailing of packages, he said, noting, however, that Jamaica Post is gravely disadvantaged as it tries to compete with more than 250 courier services, most of which are not playing by the same rules that apply to the island’s postal system.
“The regulations for the postal sector only affect the post office. There is a Post Office Act of 1941 that speaks to how the postal services are to operate. I am not aware that there is any other piece of legislation that really regulates courier companies. You just open your company and you just operate,” said Allen.
He was speaking at yesterday’s Small Island Developing States (SIDS) Postal Leaders Forum, which was held under the theme ‘Postal Digitalisation, Integration and Innovation: Sustainable Growth Boosters for SIDS’. The forum, which runs from July 15-17, is aimed at facilitating dialogue among small island states on how to combat the technological advancement that threatens their sustenance.
More than 60 participants, representing 30 companies are slated to attend the forum, which coincides with celebrations of the Jamaica Post’s 354th anniversary on October 31 - the oldest postal service in the Western Hemisphere.
“We have over 250 courier services, and unfortunately, these provide unfair competition to us. That sector is unregulated. There is, basically, no barrier to entry... . There are no real guidelines surrounding the protocols on how they should operate, the standards and turnaround times by which packages are to be delivered. We don’t even know if some of these persons who are carrying out these services are even vetted in terms of the integrity of the postal sector,” he said.
“While we have to adhere to strict government guidelines, international protocols, and obligations, they don’t. So they have far less operating costs, which gives them an advantage. It allows them to compete with greater ease than us. A lot of work needs to be done in terms of promulgating a regulatory regime to deal with the postal sector. It’s a rapid proliferation, and in terms of who is operating, we don’t really know,” added Allen, noting that while he is not against competition, the playing field ought to be levelled and the integrity of the sector maintained.
In the meantime, Allen said Jamaica has not been leveraging the opportunities within the postal sector, noting that post offices are vital aspects of many communities. Many post offices, however, have been allowed to run into disrepair, subsequently turning off users, he said, pointing to a doubling of revenue since a recent renovation of the Central Sorting Office (CSO) in Kingston.
“We have used the CSO as a benchmark, and we are now in the process of replicating the CSO throughout Jamaica,” he said, explaining that 23 post offices are to be renovated and a host of new commercial services introduced to customers who use them, particularly in the rural communities.
Meanwhile, Marjan Osvald, deputy director general of the Universal Postal Union (UPU), which represents postal services across the world, explained that the Government and the private sector will have to play an integral part in the sustenance of the postal sectors in their countries.
“Courier companies coming into specific countries take over first the city, but they don’t play much role in the rural environment. What we are trying to do at UPU is to speak with governments, the regulators, to understand that the role of post is not only in the cities where they are facing competition but also in connectivity of the rural areas,” said Osvald, noting that there is a lot of room for governments to direct some of their services through the post.