CWU: Postcode plan will be late, won’t save money and will damage post office

THE Government’s €15 million roll-out of postcodes by 2011 will not be delivered on time, will not offer any savings to businesses and will damage the postal service, postal worker representatives claim.

Communications Workers Union (CWU) general secretary Steve Fitzpatrick said this week’s announcement by Communications Minister Eamon Ryan that postcodes will be introduced in 2011 came without consultation with interest groups, including the post office.

“The minister has come out at the height of an economic crisis when we have no money for anything and is going to spend €15m for postcodes which is 1.5 times the amount it will cost for the national cervical smear test for girls,” said Mr Fitzpatrick. “He has done this with a number of justifications which are not backed up by fact.”