An Post warns of serious strike risk

THE threat of a major postal strike in the run-up to Christmas remains a distinct possibility after talks at the Labour Court over the weekend failed to report any real progress.

Representatives of An Post management and the Communications Workers’ Union will meet again at the Labour Court in Dublin this morning in the hope of averting industrial action by workers.

The two sides have already held three days of talks over issues at the centre of the long-running dispute on pay and conditions at the trouble-ridden company.

It centres on the failure of the company to pay national wage increases due under Sustaining Progress to 8,500 CWU members working in An Post.

However, An Post management wants to make the acceptance of new work practices in its collection and delivery operations a condition for the granting of the pay increases.

The National Implementation Body has set tomorrow as a deadline for reaching agreement in the latest round of intensive negotiations between the parties.

Both sides have been examining a report by the accountancy firm, Grant Thornton on how much it would cost An Post to agree to the union’s demands for changes to a Labour Court recommendation issued earlier this summer.

Management and union at An Post have agreed to make no comment on the contents of the report pending the ongoing discussions at the Labour Court.

However, they have both warned that there is a serious risk of disruption to Christmas deliveries if the current round of conciliation talks fails to reach an agreement.

Meanwhile, postmasters yesterday outlined their concerns about the future of the postal network in rural parts of the country to politicians.

Around 300 members of the Irish Postmaster’s Union (IPU), attended a gathering in Thurles, Co Tipperary yesterday afternoon.

There, IPU general secretary, John Kane, said the existence of 1,200 postmasters was being placed in jeopardy by the Government over the uncertainty of the contract for the payment of social welfare cheques through local post offices.

Most outlets face closure in the next ten years unless the Government acts to sustain the network, said Mr Kane. He said that 400 post offices had already closed over the past few years.

The IPU has called on Communications Minister, Noel Dempsey, to bring post offices within the terms of a Public Service Obligation in order to guarantee the viability of up to 500 smaller post offices by having an agreed level of service to the public.