AN POST has confirmed that Fortis will be its banking partner in a new venture to be launched next year

An Post is to enter talks aimed at providing banking and financial services across Ireland, it emerged today.

An Post CEO Donal Curtin has announced that he will leave An Post in July when his contract expires.

Annual reports show that few semi-State bosses got major wage rises, writes Ian Guider.

The Communications Workers Union (CWU) has expressed alarm at the comments of An Post's chief executive officer, in the wake of its annual report.

AN POST has returned to profitability for the first time since 2000 but still wants to increase the price of a stamp to 60 cent and cut its workforce by another 1,000 employees.

An Post has reported an after-tax profit of €6.5m for 2004.

MONEY is available to the Government to deliver much-needed infrastructure projects if it so wished, the Dáil Public Accounts Committee heard yesterday.

LOTTO fans may soon be able to select their numbers via mobile phone or the internet.

The National Lottery has announced record sales of €578.3m for 2004, up 3.4%.

An Post today called for an increase in stamp rates and transaction tariffs to ensure the survival of the loss-making company.

AN POST spent at least €2m on external consultants last year while insisting it could not give staff overdue pay increases, an Oireachtas Committee heard yesterday.

AN POST spent at least €2 million on external consultants last year while insisting it could not give staff overdue pay increases, an Oireachtas committee heard yesterday.

EDITORIAL columns in a few of our leading daily newspapers over recent weeks were loud in condemning An Post's latest application to the Communications Regulator (ComReg) for an increase in the ordinary letter postage rate.

AN POST last night expressed its willingness to open talks on the company’s decision to close its loss- making SDS parcel division.

WORKERS were shocked and “betrayed” last night at An Post’s announcement that it will seek 270 job cuts in its loss making parcels and courier division, SDS.

HALF of the people caught without TV licences were not prosecuted by An Post inspectors because it cost the company too much, a Government report revealed yesterday.

AN POST chief executive Donal Curtin yesterday urged people to fit post boxes to their garden gates.

OPERATING losses at An Post nearly doubled last year, despite company assurances last January that it would make a €1 million profit.

A ROW between An Post and its workers "will bring the national postal service to its knees", a union leader warned last night.

An Post lost over €46 million in 2003, despite predicting a €1 million profit, and now wants to lay off 1,350 staff.

TO describe An Post’s financial situation as difficult would be the understatement of the new year.

AN POST outlined a rescue plan yesterday that will see 1,450 jobs go over the next two years at the stricken semi-state company.

SEMI-STATE bosses received bonuses averaging between €16,000 and €35,000 each on top of significant salary increases despite falling profits and thousands of job losses, an Irish Examiner survey reveals.

CASH-STRAPPED An Post is planning a mass sell-off of properties in the hope of raising €27 million over the next 18 months.

AN POST workers facing up to 1,500 job losses yesterday criticised their management for accepting bonuses while warning that the company was headed for further financial losses.

Chief Business Correspondent

AN POST, which last year had losses of €70.5 million, the worst in the history of the State, is to increase its prices.