Postal workers 'facing Royal Mail takeover'

AN POST will cease to exist and the Royal Mail will be handling all Irish postal services within a few years, if the current difficulties are not resolved, Communications Minister Noel Dempsey said yesterday.

Speaking as up to 8,000 postal workers brought their grievances to the steps of Dáil Éireann yesterday, Mr Dempsey said the only option was for both sides to agree to negotiations.

"I don't particularly want to see the Royal Mail delivering the postal service in Ireland in 2009 but that's what we're looking at unless people sit down around the table.