UP TO half of the country’s 1,100 post offices will be forced to close if An Post loses the contract for making social welfare payments, the Irish Postmasters’ Union has said.

Pharmacies across the country are threatening not to dispense drugs to people on medical cards and those with chronic long-term illnesses because of cuts by the Department of Health. Over 1,000 pharmacists gathered in Dublin to protest against the cuts.

THE future of the post office network depends on the retention of social welfare payments at all outlets, postmasters warned yesterday.

THE country’s remaining sub-post offices could face extinction because more and more social welfare payments are being processed through banks, Irish Postmasters Union (IPU) president Joe McArdle has said.

SOCIAL and Family Affairs Minister Seamus Brennan has promised postmasters they will be given “space” to introduce technology to facilitate social welfare payments through the post office network.

The Irish Postmasters' Union has criticised the Communications Workers Union for advising postal delivery staff to sort mail in their homes during the upcoming IPU strike.