An Post must stamp out crisis

TO describe An Post’s financial situation as difficult would be the understatement of the new year.

The commercial reality is that the organisation is losing money so fast it will have to let 1,350 staff go as well as selling off parts of its operations and some

properties. Indeed, when he outlined its dire scenario, An Post chief executive Donal Curtin described the group’s financial situation as “ extremely and extraordinarily” difficult.

The sheer scale of the financial haemorrhage is breathtaking. Its projected outlook for 2003 is for an operating loss of 46.4 million. After selling properties, the bottom-line loss comes to 29 million instead of a 1 profit. Further losses of 16 million are expected this year.

Stemming such huge losses will require stringent action. Arguably, having kept many rural post offices open, to close them down now would be a retrograde step, seriously undermining Ireland’s social fabric.

For the company to secure worker support for job cuts and other initiatives, it is vital to involve the unions at every stage of the process.

The last thing An Post needs is a bout of industrial action that could scuttle any hope of recovery.