Irish An Post cannot deliver ‘without public funding’
The Government has been accused of giving the “kiss of death” to the social services provided by An Post by refusing to address the urgent need for state financial support for the semi-state company.
Civil and Public Service Union, Financial Secretary, Eoin Roynane accused the Government of hiding behind An Post’s Board, rather than facing up to the reality that An Post cannot deliver its current range of social service obligations without Government funding.
Addressing delegates at the union’s annual conference in Ennis at the weekend, MrRoynane said: “You can’t slash your way through a 43m loss without crippling the loss-making services such as rural post deliveries and the sub post-offices.”
Rejecting the policy of forcing An Post to cut jobs and conditions as a means of reversing the financial crisis at the company, Mr Roynane said: “The Government is being less than honest with the public about the inevitable impact this would have on the social services provided by the company.”
Mr Roynane recalled the “public outcry” over the company’s move to install roadside letter boxes and claimed that local communities had been suffering the slow but steady undermining of local services.
Mr Roynane warned: “It is inevitable that local communities would be even harder hit asthe company is forced to slash costs further.”
Citing existing state subsidies enjoyed by CIE, RTE and regional airports justified on public service grounds, Mr Roynane asked: “What’s so different about ensuring the people of this country continue to have a local postal service?”
Mr Roynane said that the Government should come clean and make a decisive statementand the minister should say whether the Government has given its approval to thedismantling of the local postal service.
