Postal strike starts at midnight Sunday - union

Postal workers tonight announced that strike action will begin at midnight on Sunday.

The Communications Workers Union (CWU) said there would be a nationwide ban on overtime working and all-out strike action at the GPO in Dublin and other selected locations throughout the country.

General Secretary Steve Fitzpatrick said the overtime ban had been chosen to highlight An Post’s reliance on the practice.

“We believe this will help disprove the propaganda being circulated by the company that workers can somehow invent overtime where there is no requirement for it.”

He said the union’s 8,500 members would take all the necessary steps to ensure that social welfare and pension payments were not disrupted.

The CWU has accused An Post of failing to pay cost of living increases toworkers and pensioners under the Sustaining Progress national agreement. The Labour Court has recommended payment but only if workers agree to productivity changes.

Mr Fitzpatrick said the postal workers regretted the impact the strike would have on their customers.

“But, having pursued every peaceful avenue over the last two years, we are left with no other option but to embark on this campaign in pursuance of the cost of living pay increases to which our members are rightly entitled and which all other public services workers have received,” said Mr Fitzpatrick.

The CWU made the announcement of strike action while its members were still engaged in talks with An Post and the National Implementation Body at Government Buildings in Dublin.

An Post said the action was unnecessary and irresponsible.

“It will achieve nothing except to damage our business, jeopardise jobs and seriously inconvenience customers at the busiest time of the year,” said spokeswoman Anna McHugh.

She said An Post would not be able to guarantee that its emergency arrangements would work because the CWU had not given it precise details of its action.

She added: “The systems we are attempting to change are so overtime dependent that an overtime ban will cause serious disruption to all services across the state.”