Postal services face further disarray today as An Post repeated its warning to the public not to post any letters or parcels because of a strike involving staff at a subcontractor’s company.

The Communications Workers’ Union has accused communications regulator ComReg of failing in its statutory duty to protect universal services in postal delivery, telecoms, and broadband services.

Herb Hribar is the latest in a long line of CEOs at Eircom, writes Kyran Fitzgerald. And as the company emerges from examinership and financial restructuring, he is seeking to get the former semi-State company back on its feet

The Government should delay ratification of the fiscal treaty to allow the EU time to agree on new growth measures, the country’s most senior union leader has said.

The leader of the country’s largest communications union has forecast up to 400 jobs could go in An Post before the end of the year.

Eircom has been given temporary court protection from its creditors.

An Post is facing a fine of up to €12 million for its failure to reach delivery targets set by the communications regulator, ComReg.

STAFF who have been told by their employers to move to Britain to keep their IT jobs vowed last night to fight for their rights.

“Austerity” is a useful word in Europe – it translates easily.

EIRCOM staff are to seek independent financial and technical advice on the company’s plans to introduce wholesale changes which will cost hundreds if not thousands of jobs.

Communications Workers Union general secretary Steve Fitzpatrick has challenged the Minister for Communications Eamon Ryan to publish two consultant reports on the introduction of postcodes.

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.

UP to 1,000 jobs could be lost at An Post if the downturn in commercial business caused by the recession does not improve, a senior trade union official has warned.

Opposition TDs today demanded improved investment in the telecoms sector if a proposed takeover of Eircom goes ahead.

Campaigners for the Lisbon Treaty today launched a new website which they claim detects lies about the charter.

THE Eircom takeover bid from Singapore Technologies Telemedia is the only game in town, according to union representing the majority of workers in the former state monopoly.

EIRCOM’S plans to axe 1,200 jobs by mid-2011, while not officially confirmed until yesterday, had been widely expected since March.

EIRCOM’S 7,000 staff are bracing themselves for significant pay cuts and redundancies in their number as the company carries out a “root and branch” review of its cost base.

UNIONS at An Post have defended a manager with the company who was paid about €100,000, despite working only a fifth of the year.

AN POST is on course to break its promise to the public to deliver 80% of all mail the next day, figures have shown.

POSTAL workers are committed to restoring An Post’s next-day delivery rates to their position among Europe’s best, union leaders said last night.

EIRCOM has avoided what would have been its first strike action in 30 years after the unions representing its 6,500 workers yesterday agreed to settlement terms mediated between company and workers at the Labour Relations Commission.

Management at eircom and unions bosses have been asked to resume talks with the Labour Relations Commission later today.

DISRUPTIVE strike action before the end of the week at Eircom remained likely last night after seven hours of talks between the company and its workers failed to resolve their differences.

EIRCOM workers yesterday served strike notice on the company, meaning thousands of homes and businesses could be without communications by as early as next Friday.

Eircom has said it is hopeful of resolving a dispute with unions over pay at a meeting tomorrow.

EIRCOM is today expected to be served with notice of industrial action up to and including strike action by 4,500 of its workers.

THE first strike action at Eircom in almost 30 years looked inevitable last night with neither the company nor workers prepared to back down on their stance on pay increases.

Plans to make An Post more competitive could put the future of the country's ten thousand postal workers under threat, according to union members.

The Communications Workers Union said this afternoon that it would do all it could to block the sale of eircom unless it receives assurances on staff pay and conditions.

The Communications Workers Union (CWU) is seeking clarification about the possible buy-out of Eircom.

The strike at An Post has been called off after the Communications Workers Union agreed this afternoon not to take further industrial action pending completion of talks.

CHAOS is expected in the postal service after postal workers announced last night they will begin strike action on Monday.

Postal workers tonight announced that strike action will begin at midnight on Sunday.

The Communication Workers Union has criticised Minister Noel Dempsey's approach to the dispute surrounding pay rises at An Post.

Another row has broken out between workers and management at An Post.

The Communications Workers Union is expected to sanction a ballot of its members on possible industrial action at An Post.

THE main trade union within An Post has rejected Labour Court proposals which would have allowed wage increases under Sustaining Progress to be paid to all the company’s 10,000 employees.

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 independent group will today be appointed by the Labour Court to examine controversial cost-cutting plans by management at An Post.

Strike action at An Post was narrowly avoided tonight as union chiefs and management lifted staff suspensions and removed threats of a walkout.

The threat of disruption to postal services has been lifted.

UNIONS at An Post yesterday withdrew the threat of strike action over the Christmas period as they agreed to temporarily suspend industrial action.