Postal strike fears mount

Postal workers were today being balloted over action that threatens to disrupt the Christmas mail service.

The Irish Postmasters’ Union hopes to escalate action in December after talks with An Post failed to resolve a three-month old pay dispute.

Sub-postmasters said the company’s offer on issues including pay and overtime did not go far enough.

Christmas mail could be paralysed if IPU’s members vote to extend action to a national level from December 2.

John Kane, general secretary of the IPU, said An Post only met two out of seven crucial points outlined in Wednesday’s key talks.

Sub-postmasters were demanding the amount they receive for working before 8am increase from €2 to €12 an hour. An Post offered the workers €6 per hour.

Mr Kane said yesterday he was confident the union’s members would vote to escalate action in the run-up to Christmas.

Ballot forms which were sent out to members yesterday are expected to be returned to the union by next Wednesday.

Until now protests have affected rural sorting offices only, but if action is extended it would involve closing down services at 1,700 of the country’s 1,800 sub-post offices.

This would affect all services except social welfare payments.

A spokesman for An Post said he had hoped the matter would be resolved by the talks, which he believed had been reasonably productive.

The action by sub-postmasters escalated two weeks ago, when 540 rural sub-postmasters began suspending sorting facilities at their sub-post offices on Mondays and Fridays.