An Post staff are expected to vote for strike action

WORKERS at An Post are expected to vote overwhelmingly in favour of strike action today, as another battle between unions and the company looms over the closure of SDS.

Up to 100 SDS staff protested outside Dublin's GPO yesterday as the An Post board met to discuss the company's financial situation.

However, despite union allegations that the decision to shut SDS was based on flawed financial information and projections, An Post chairwoman Margaret McGinley emerged from the meeting to confirm SDS would close with the loss of 270 jobs.

The Communications Worker's Union (CWU) had called on the board to put a freeze on the decision until "the real facts surrounding the decision have been fully examined."

However, An Post stood by its figures showing SDS losses of €28 million over five years.

Ms McGinley said the board had concluded that the basis for its decision was sound and that the implementation of the decision must continue.

She also appealed to workers to stick by a Christmas overtime agreement brokered this month.

Although CWU workers are becomingly increasingly angry, and after tomorrow will likely have a valid strike ballot, all-out strike action at An Post before Christmas is unlikely.

However CWU Steve Fitzpatrick did not rule out some lesser form of industrial action to be decided at a meeting of the union's National Executive Council on December 2.

"It's highly unlikely we will become engaged in an all-out strike before Christmas. However it is highly likely that some form of action will be taken," he said.

He also called on Communications Minister Noel Dempsey to facilitate an open public discussion on the future of An Post.

"I think there is a role the Government has to play in having an open discussion on An Post. We don't understand why no one wants a public debate on this and decisions are being made in the dark. In our experience when decisions are made in the dark there is usually something to hide," he said.

An Post has given SDS workers until tomorrow to sign up for redundancy, retirement or redeployment and is standing by a February closure.

Meanwhile staff are continuing to ballot on a 5.35% pay and productivity offer which they are expected to reject. The result of a ballot for industrial action over those pay and productivity proposals will be announced tomorrow.