Campaign to save An Post launched

national | worker & community struggles and protests | feature

Friday November 05, 2004 17:16

by Paul Kinsella - CPSU An Post Branch Committee

paulkinsella53 at yahoo dot com

53 Lorcan Grove, Santry, Dublin 9, Ireland

085-1478100

An Post Social Obligation - The Need For Government Financial Support by Paul Kinsella CPSU

When public services are dismantled a number of tactics are employed. In Dublin Bus they are at the stage of introducing competition: in An Post, other than the letter service this has long been in place. In Aer Rianta the asset strippers are circling as the value of the company is run down. This report, by Paul Kinsella, on the campaign within the An Post unions shows the same tactics at work. The Flynn Report on the service is ignored, elements of the service are closed for being 'uncompetitive' under government set rules and the workers are denied their Partnership agreed wage increases. The campaign material includes draft letters for An Post workers write - have a look, maybe we can all be the mail, as well as the media, for a day.

Selections from the Report.......
The Group of Unions in An Post have recently agreed on the concept of a campaign to change Government policy towards the proper funding of An Post. This decision was made in light of new developments in Industrial relations in the company, the refusal to pay the SP national wage agreement (5% on 1-8-04) and the unilateral decision to close down SDS with the loss of 274 jobs. The use of the present “crisis” in the finances of the company to drive down hard on the Unions and Staff is real, and now firmly underway. In conjunction with the treatment of other Semi-State companies it is clear that this process is politically motivated..........

In 1999 Minister of Communication, Mary O’Rourke commissioned the Flynn Report 2000 to review the Sub Post Office Network. It found, "...As part of the obligation placed on An Post to provide a nationwide service, the Post Offices Branch Network provides access for citizens to mail services, including postal mailing; stamp sales; registration; ancillary postal services. The Post Office Network will be under extreme financial pressure for the foreseeable future. Closure of Posts Offices will only reduce the size of the loses, it cannot stop the loses from the post office network. Also the introduction of new business cannot address these loses." But the Government glossed over the report...........

Postal Sector and Social Obligations
I believe that the group of Unions in An Post should be calling on the Government to make a commitment to a universal obligation to both the Postal and the Post Office Network and for this service to be maintained and further improved. A mechanism should be put in place to access the cost of this social obligation (in light of the further deregulation to take place). And the Government to fund this social obligation.......

An Post is the only major Semi State Company which does not receive an annual Government Subvention for the social services it provides. An Post Group of Unions Agreed Campaign for Government funding of An Post The financial crisis in An Post is directly linked with the Universal Service Obligations of the company, and that the Staff, Customer and Services of the Company are now been targeted, in a bid to let the Government off the hook as regards their Obligations to the Public.....

CPSU Press Release
Draft Letters

The Group of Unions in An Post have recently agreed on the concept of a campaign to change Government policy towards the proper funding of An Post. This decision was made in light of new developments in Industrial relations in the company, the refusal to pay the SP national wage agreement (5% on 1-8-04) and the unilateral decision to close down SDS with the loss of 274 jobs. The use of the present “crisis” in the finances of the company to drive down hard on the Unions and Staff is real, and now firmly underway. In conjunction with the treatment of other Semi-State companies it is clear that this process is politically motivated. CPSU Campaign to secure Government funding for An Post launched prior to the Local and European elections last June 2004

Since the break-up of the Dept of Posts and Telegraphs in 1983 there has been little financial support from the Government of the day or any of its successors which was promised at the time. This is in direct contrast to Telecom ( now Eircom) which received massive government funding to- update the phone network. An Post has continually struggled financially and will do so until the social obligations are costed and the government cover such costs. The sale of “Ireland-on-line” in 2001 has only delayed the stark reality that An Post cannot continue to deliver the high quality public service to the Irish nation and at the same time be financially viable. The continuing financial loses in An Post cannot be sustained, with loses since 2001 amounting to 67 million Euro. As the Chief Executive of An Post said it will be increasingly difficult to deliver to every household in the future under the financial constants placed on the Company.

Flynn Report 2000

This report was commissioned by the then Minister of Communication, Mary O’Rourke to review the Sub Post Office Network, in December 1999. The report was compiled by former ICTU president, Phil Flynn.

Conclusions of Report
As part of the obligation placed on An Post to provide a nationwide service, the Post Offices Branch Network provides access for citizens to mail services, including postal mailing; stamp sales; registration; ancillary postal services.