Hundreds of post offices in danger of closure, conference told

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Written by Brenda Carney

Wednesday, 31 January 2007

The post office network in the county does not have enough money to survive and hundreds of post offices around the county will close if An Post doesn't do something about it.

That's according to Padraig McNamara of the Irish Postmasters Union which held a special general meeting in the Salthill Hotel last week.

He said, "Around 300 offices will close over the next two to three years in the absence of An Post and Government intervention".

Richard Ryan, a spokesman for An Post said there is no official programme by An Post to close post offices. "A post office will only close where a postmaster or postmistresses dies or retires and no suitable replacement is forthcoming when the vacant contract is advertised," he said.

The lack of funding was described by Mr McNamara as a "deep crisis" and he told the meeting: "There are 400 post offices where the total income of the postmaster or postmistress is less than €17,900, which is the new legal minimum wage operative from the 01 January 2007.

"This is before the costs of running the office are met. Given the risks and responsibilities that postmasters and postmistresses have throughout the country and the quality of the service that they provide, they have to be among the most exploited citizens in the State."

Mr Ryan of An Post said, "It is important to recognize that postmasters are not employees of An Post, they are contractors who are paid a fee based on the volume of transactions that they carry out.

"There is a minimum amount of fee for smaller offices, some of which carry out very few transactions. In the case of all post offices run by contractors, the more transactions carried out, the higher the remuneration. The system used to pay contractors was agreed between the IPU, the company and contractors over a long period."

But Mr McNamara insisted the State "refuses to face up to its responsibilities in terms of ensuring that this cash rich semi-state company treats its contractors reasonably."

Postmaster at Fr Griffin Road Post Office, Mr Noel Leahy said, "We're very much underpaid and the Government is sitting on the fence. The future is not looking too good. If its not supported, the service won't be viable".

Kidnappings and the shooting of a man in Kilkenny highlight the dangers faced by postmasters and postmistresses and is just one of the reason's for the rise in resignations, according to Mr McNamara.

He added there was a heightened sense of anxiety among postmasters regarding the safety of their families. Mr Leahy said he is "a bit nervous and on-edge about the situation. The future doesn't look too bright," he added.

According to Mr Ryan from An Post, security is a constant priority issue and he said the company is investing €15 million in upgrading security equipment across its retail network and improving its cash-in-transit procedures.

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