Minister under pressure to intervene in postal dispute

COMMUNICATIONS Minister Dermot Ahern was under pressure last night to intervene in the escalating postal dispute following a warning that it will put many small firms out of business by Christmas.

The strike will wreak havoc with postal services in the run up to Christmas with the Irish Postmasters’ Union (IPU) threatening to suspend all services - except social welfare payments.

Balloting of the 1,700 postmasters began yesterday and the union is confident the majority of members will vote in favour of stepping up action from December 2.

The postmasters want their hourly rate for opening before 8am increased from €2 to €42.

IPU general secretary John Kane said their members were very disappointed with An Post’s response to their demands for improvements in pay and working conditions.

“If this action goes ahead, it will have a huge impact on the volume and delivery of post in rural areas and in the cities,” Mr Kane said.

Talks between the IPU and An Post broke down on Wednesday after the postmasters rejected new pay offers made by the company, claiming they were not in line with minimum payments given to their own mail sorters.

Labour Deputy Tommy Broughan yesterday called on Mr Ahern to intervene personally in a dispute.

“The minister has to realise that the entire postal service is under threat and he should make a resolution of this dispute a priority,” the Labour Communications spokesman said.

Small Firms’ Association director Pat Delaney called for a swift resolution to the dispute claiming many of his members could be put out of business if the dispute is not resolved before Christmas.

“My members depend on the post for survival. If this dispute continues they will receive no payments or orders,” Mr Delaney said. He called on both An Post and the IPU to use all the industrial relations machinery to resolve the dispute before it escalates on December 2.

Responding to a call to get directly involved in the dispute, Minister Ahern’s spokesperson said there was a large industrial relations mechanism available to the IPU and An Post, including an expert mediator.

“The minister is being kept informed on the dispute but it is up to the company and the union to address the issues themselves,” Mr Ahern’s spokesperson said.

Meanwhile, a spokesperson for An Post rejected the claim that any escalation in the postmasters’ dispute would cause major disruption to businesses or the public. The company has maintained a 93% delivery of services since the dispute started three months ago, with some delays.

“We will await the outcome of the IPU vote. If they back an escalation of the dispute it will have a huge impact on the postmasters’ own revenue,” the An Post spokesperson said.