Irish postmasters to meet ministers over post office’s future
The Republic of Ireland’s union of postmasters is set to hold talks with the government over the future of the country’s post office network. The meeting comes after ministers lashed out at the Irish Postmasters’ Union (IPU) for causing “unnecessary” distress among post office customers with warnings about “phantom” post office closures.
Minister Pat Rabbitte said the IPU had been engaging in a “high profile” protest campaign highlighting the problem with post office closures.
But he said the government “has no plan to close post offices”.
The minister pointed out that while the IPU had agreed to the closure of 197 post offices between 2006 and 2010, since 2010 only 17 post offices have closed.
“The IPU, has engaged in a high profile protest campaign that has caused entirely unjustifiable and unnecessary distress in local communities especially for older citizens. Pensioners are being told that their ‘post office is closing’,” said Rabbitte.
“Against the relative stability and the growth in business and income enjoyed by postmasters since 2010 despite the economic environment, it is puzzling to witness a campaign that is causing unnecessary fear – especially to senior citizens.”
Ireland’s Cabinet Committee on Social Policy is currently looking into how the government maintains the network of Post Offices, and the extent to which central and local government services can be provided to the public across post office counters.
The IPU general secretary Brian McGann said the meeting with ministers would be “helpful” in recognising the “genuine concern” of postmasters over the future of the network as the review goes on.
“Postmasters need to see clear action with timelines and outcomes to be assured that their concerns are being heard and that their future can be secured,” he said last week.
“Opportunity”
In a speech to the Irish parliament at the end of last month, Minister Rabbitte stressed the importance of the network of 1,147 post offices in Ireland, and denied claims in the press that 557 post offices were set to close.
The minister identified the source of the closures claim as a consultancy report warning what could happen if state postal service An Post lost a EUR 50m government social welfare contract, which it subsequently won in a tender process last year.
Rabbitte noted that the mails business has been “very sharply” in decline, but with the country’s largest retail presence, he said the post office network had a key strength.
He said: “E-substitution affects every aspect of our lives and undoubtedly has an impact on the traditional over-the-counter services offered by the post office network. Increasing use of newer technologies is a simple fact of life, but this should be viewed as an opportunity to grasp rather than a problem to eradicate.”
An Post has been investing in computerising post offices and automating the network as well as introducing new products to diversify its revenues.
The minister said postmasters and An Post could go further to develop more new business, such as postal banking products. While the Cabinet Committee review will look at how government can make more use of post office access, Rabbitte warned that any contracts would have to go out to competitive tender and could not be automatically awarded to commercial state company An Post.
Reports citing the claim of 557 post offices closing came as the IPU campaigned against An Post’s retail partnership with supermarket chain Tesco. The union has claimed the partnership will “destroy” the post office network in just two years.
Last week McGann was still calling on An Post to pull back front he plan. He suggested that meeting ministers the IPU would stress key areas in which the network can be sustained.
“Full banking services at all post offices and new business are critical to the survival of the Post Office,” he said.
