Postmasters demand welfare payment by post remains

People should continue to be able to receive social welfare payments through the country’s post offices, it was demanded today.

The Irish Postmasters’ Union (IPU) today presented Social and Family Affairs Minister Seamus Brennan with some of the 500,000 postcards signed by the public in support of the union’s campaign to maintain payments through post office branches.

IPU General Secretary John Kane also called for Communications Minister Noel Dempsey to use his influence with An Post to get the company to provide an electronic funds transfer (EFT) system into post offices.

“The 1,400 sub post offices are already struggling and need every bit of business that they can get and at a price that will allow the postmasters and postmistresses to have a reasonable standard of living,” he said.

“The single biggest customer is the Department of Social and Family Affairs which accounts for, directly and indirectly, upwards of 60% of turnover.

“This business is now under threat by the use by the Department of Social and Family Affairs of the electronic funds transfer facility to the bank.”

But Mr Kane urged the department of Social and Family Affairs to leave the decision to recipients over how they receive their payments at the post office, including maintaining the current range of methods.

“The availability of an EFT facility at the post office will not be as straightforward as it might first appear, as the post offices would not wish to see the social welfare recipient charged for accessing their money at a post office, as currently happens at the bank, and this difficulty has to be overcome,” he said.