Postmasters union seek to stall switch to electronic payments

Postmasters are pleading with the Department of Social Protection to stall the switch from cash to electronic welfare payments until they have time to introduce new e-payment accounts for recipients.

The Irish Postmasters’ Union (IPU) says the policy will benefit only private banks, while being disastrous for post offices, which handle almost half the department’s 87m individual payments annually.

Ned O’Hara, IPU general secretary, said: “Once a social protection recipient moves from cash payment to electronic funds transfer [EFT], their custom is lost forever to the post office.