Tag: Republic of Ireland

Strike action by An Post workers could allow a new company to enter the market, the Government warned last night.

After the Communications Workers Union (CWU) voted overwhelmingly for stoppages, Communications Minister Noel Dempsey warned the dispute could end up with the monopoly in the postal market being shattered.

“If customers, if businesses and individual customers in this country can’t get a postal service from An Post because of the actions of the CWU then the Government will have to put in place a system that will allow other people to come in to the letter post business and provide a proper service,” the minister said.

The country’s 8,500 postal workers are to strike in a fortnight’s time after 90pc of members voted for industrial action.

A decision by An Post staff to strike over a pay disagreement is grossly irresponsible and unnecessary, the postal company said.

The Communications Workers Union (CWU) voted almost unanimously to take industrial action, with 90% of those who took part in a national ballot supporting the move.

The union is demanding full payment of the terms of its Sustaining Progress agreement, claiming workers and pensioners have been left without the minimum in cost of living increases.

An Post has not honoured the terms of the deal, pleading inability to pay because of financial difficulties.

In a statement An Post said: “Disruption of the national postal service by members of the Communications’ Workers Union is grossly irresponsible and unnecessary.

The postal service could come to a standstill in just two weeks pending the result today of a Communications Workers’ Union (CWU) ballot on industrial action.

The outcome of the ballot will not be known until 2pm. However the union said last night that there had been “very strong” support for industrial action, up to and including a strike, which would involve a total stoppage of postal deliveries.

The union opened the ballot on October 5th over its claim that An Post has failed to honour national pay agreements.

It has accused the company of failing to pay workers and pensioners cost-of-living increases due under the Sustaining Progress national agreement.

Half of all post sent in Dublin for national and international delivery does not leave the An Post sorting office the same day, according to the company’s internal figures, writes Olivia Kelly.

Daily records for the Dublin mail centre from September 15th to October 5th, seen by The Irish Times, show that the proportion of post leaving the sorting office the same day regularly slips under 50 per cent.

The Communications Workers’ Union (CWU), which represents postal workers, said the company’s customer service department was receiving up to 1,600 calls each day, and 1,200 of these related to letter delivery.

On September 15th some 1,611,105 items were received in the Dublin mail centre; 835,395 or 52 per cent remained in the mail centre at the end of the day. On Thursday last week, 2,272,040 items were received, with 1,429,765 or 62 per cent still in the sorting office at the end of the day.