Mail sorting staff vote to accept settlement over An Post dispute

Staff involved in a dispute at a An Post contractor have voted to accept settlement proposals in their dispute over rostering arrangements and pay today.

The row centred on changes to working hours for 36 workers at I O systems, the company that manages the equipment at mail sorting centres around the country..

The ballot by the Communications Workers Union returned a vote of 23 to five in favour of the proposals, meaning the dispute that brought post services to a halt earlier this month is now over.

CWU General Secretary, Steve Fitzpatrick said: "IO Systems workers have delivered a strong vote in support of the settlement proposals worked out under the process overseen by Phil Flynn. This settlement includes revised agreed shift patterns and changes to pay levels including shift premiums.

Also, workers who stuck to their previously agreed rosters will be paid for the work they did. There is one outstanding matter that we have agreed should be referred to the Labour Court on the level of shift premium that should prevail from September 2016.

"We are satisfied that the recent negotiations have delivered a fair result. However, we are disappointed that the implications of the dispute for the public were unnecessarily escalated by the actions of An Post mail management."