A wave of indignation in parliament forced the government to replace the head of ΕΛTA

Government Kyriakos Mitsotakis decided to remove the head Ελληνικά Ταχυδρομεία (EΛTA) Grigorios Sklikas after a massive scandal caused by the closure of 204 post offices across the country.

The decision was a reaction to a wave of public and parliamentary indignation.

Information about “freezing” of branches appeared on the evening of November 30 and caused a storm of protests. Residents of the provinces and postal employees demanded that the decision be reversed, arguing that it would lead to the isolation of entire areas.

The prime minister’s office hastened to distance itself from the scandal, declaring through sources that “all decisions on ΕΛTA are made Υπερταμείο” However, society perceived this as an attempt 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 pressure from public opinion, the company announced a three-month suspension of closures, but the situation was already out of control. Nikitas Kaklamanisthe chairman of parliament, admitted that he had received appeals from more than thirty deputies who were outraged by the actions of the ΕΛTA leadership.

Minister of Economy Kostis Hadzidakis conveyed the problem personally to the prime minister. The result was predictable – the resignation of the director. “Someone has to leave, and this, of course, is not the prime minister,” they commented with irony in parliament.

Sklikas resignation letter

In a letter to Υπερταμείο – (Greek State Asset Super Fund)* Grigorios Sklikas stressed that he accepted the position in 2023, leaving his international career to “serve the country.” He noted that ETA is in a difficult situation due to a 90% drop in letter volumes, outdated technology and huge operating costs. According to him, closing non-performing branches is the only way to maintain the company’s solvency.

“If measures are not taken, wage payments may be threatened in the coming months,” he warned, adding that “dialogue on reform has become impossible under pressure from politicians and local deputies.”

After the letter was published Superfund informed parliament that he would accept the Superfund, and the meeting of the relevant commissions on ETA issues was postponed. Meanwhile Socrates Famellos from SYRIZA demanded that the hearings continue, accusing the government of “hushing up the disaster”.

Epilogue: a systemic disease under the guise of “reforms”

The story of ΕΛΤΑ is not just the story of one bad management decision. This is a mirror of the deeper malaise of the Greek administration, where reforms often turn into chaotic cuts and responsibility into a search for “scapegoat“. Kyriakos Mitsotakis showed that he knows how to sacrifice people for the sake of an image of stability, but not systems for the sake of the future.

In the case of ΕΛΤΑ, the authorities tried to convince society that the crisis could be stopped by firing one person. But no resignation will restore citizens’ trust in public services, which are slowly dying out between bureaucracy and commercialization. When a state begins to act like a private corporation, it loses what makes it a state—its duty to society.

If the trend continues, greek post will be just another reminder that reforms without strategy is simply a rebranding of decline.

Reference:

Υπερταμείο is a Hellenic Corporation of Assets and Participations (HCAP) super fund.

It is a structure created under pressure from creditors in 2016 to manage state-owned enterprises, real estate and shares in companies on behalf of the Greek state, but with maximum autonomy and external control – in particular from the European Commission and the ECB.

She owns stakes in strategic state-owned companies, such as ΔΕΗ (State Electric Network), ΕΥΔΑΠ (athens water supply), ΕΛΠΕ (Greek Oil Refineries) and of course ΕΛΤΑ (Greek Post).

In this case, Υπερταμείο:

• formally controls ΕΛΤΑ and makes decisions on executive appointments, investments and “network optimization”;
• became a convenient shield for the government, which declared that “decisions on ΕΛΤΑ are made not by the Cabinet, but by Υπερταμείο” – that is, no matter how much we are to blame, but an independent structure.

In essence, this is a tool for political relief: responsibility for the scandal with the closure of branches was shifted to the foundation, and then Sklikas was removed in order to save the government’s reputation.

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