Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
Updated at 11pm
AN POST CUSTOMERS have been told not to post any letters or parcels until further notice.
This follows industrial action by staff of supplier company IO Systems who are members of the Communications Workers’ Union (CWU).
These workers are responsible for maintaining mail sorting equipment that is located at An Post’s mail sorting centres.
These are located in Dublin, Cork, Portlaoise and Athlone.
This notice comes into immediate effect today and no post will be collected from businesses.
Why is strike action being taken?
The reason the workers are going on strike is because of a new rostering arrangement that is opposed by IO Systems workers who are members of the CWU.
The CWU says that the new arrangement will impose a pay cut of as much as 22% on IO Systems workers.
This follows issues with reductions to basic pay and shift premiums and workers being places on non-rotating night shifts.
Speaking about the action, CWU general secretary Steve Fitzpatrick called the approach of IO Systems “reckless and arrogant” and that there was support for the striking workers from across the union.
Fitzpatrick added that the company should be investigated.
“We have had our suspicions up to now and these have been confirmed by the irrational action of the Company to escalate this dispute threatening a €850 million business to save €100,000 in wages to less than 30 workers at IO Systems.
We are calling today for the appointment of a Special Investigator from the C&AG’s office to examine the background and process for the awarding of the IO Systems contract by An Post.
“We are appalled that well paid An Post executives are supporting IO Systems management in seeking to cut wages and consign IO Systems workers to permanent night work without proper recognition in their pay and conditions.”
How long will this go on for?
An Post has said that customers should not post anything until further notice.
The industrial action is set to last for two weeks.
Normal post office retail services will continue as normal.
An Post has said that it apologises to its customers for the inconvenience and hopes that the parties involved will be able to resolve the dispute through the normal industrial relations processes.
What does it mean for customers?
The Department of Social Protection has said contingency arrangements will be put in place to provide for the delivery of payment cheques to its customers, should the dispute extend into next week.
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade also announced temporary Passport Express services earlier today.
It advises anyone travelling within 10 working days or less to book appointments on its online system for the Dublin and Cork passport offices via the www.dfa.ie website.
Passports will then be available for collection through the passport offices in Dublin and Cork.
Those travelling in more than 10 working days have been advised to use application drop-off boxes at the same officers, as well as the Irish Aid office in Limerick, from Monday morning onwards.
The Department said it does not expect the disruption of postal services to impact on application turnaround times.
First published at 11:30am. Additional reporting by Catherine Healy.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
The public service will finally bankrupt this country once and for all. The money just isn’t there to meet their demands. Unless the Government can raise money through taxing the private sector workers or raising corporation tax, there is no way this money can be paid. Then again a Government desperate to get re-elected are capable of doing anything to hold on to power. The unions are well aware of when the best time to declare war is.
@jo mixon: It’s the Consultants on big money who are draining the system not the hardworking nurses imo.
@ianglen: And why is 1 in 5 consultant jobs unfilled?
Perhaps you should campaign for further pay cuts for consultants ?
ANd any that dont like it can go off to Canada/Australia.
@jo mixon: Weel . They found the money to give the banks a 30 year tax write off.
@jo mixon: And there’s way too many clipboards managers as well. Morale isn’t good among hospital staff atm.
@ianglen: anyone who believes this is an idiot.
@jo mixon: yep the public service ie people who live work and spend in this country as unlike nama bondholders banks developers tax exiles and the other fuxxers who have had free run protected by government ask my hole merry xmas fg trolls
@ianglen: actually..healthcare workers are are team, we work together to care for our patients and it is an insult when ignorant comments such as this are made. I am an NCHD and work 80+hour weeks. I will leaving Ireland in July to Canada…leaving my family and friends in Ireland..this is not for money, but for a decent work life balance and a better system. I will be supporting my nursing colleagues as they strike. The system needs to change and the public needs to stop pointing fingers at those healthcare workers in it; we all work hard to do our best in a system stretched beyond its limits.
Duties above their original description. Bloody unions will co.e up with any inventive way of saying we want more money . Black hole of a health service. Cost multiples of the bus in Manchester and services the same amount of people where is the logic.
@john s: exactly, wont fix or go in any way to solve the mess that is the HSE and the inefficiences in that system which results in suffering for everyone
People blame consultants. Consultants are amazing, not when you have to fork in 150 euro for a consultancy,but when your life is in their hands. They are people that fix people. They face more decisions in a week, than a bank CEO and get paid less. I would hate their job.
This problem is on repeat now, Wage Inflation. We have an artificial property bubble that is driven by lack of supply. It is the source of all our ills at the moment. Money is the means to make things more affordable, but the driver is affordability.
Insurance, mortgage rates, house prices, we’re like an out of shape flabby tiger.
It will tank the economy, it tanked it before. It depends on Government action and leadership they need put about 2Bn into a NAMA style build project. This will just get worse and the strikes and protests will continue. We all sign into a private/public economic stability model, where the government delivers affordable housing as a core tenet and freely fully opens sectors such as insurance etc., mortgage rates. This public worker, private workers is nonsense, we all live here.
Remember the New children’s Hospital is running close to a billion over cost which also has to be paid the whole system is f##} up
Follow a consultation, Dr, Nurse and hca for a week at work and tell me that 99% don’t deserve a good wage compared to all the other fu#k wits in the HSE and other government departments.
Leo our leader was in charge of Health for a while and did SFA and
watch as he performs the same act again as the unions walk all over him
Blame the unions, blame the consultants, blame the public service. Such other and total rubbish.
The problems have been pointed out repeatedly by the unions and the nurses and the unions and even the patients and have been ignored by government for years,
The hard working private sector pay for everything. Wrong guess what public servants pay tax as well.
The HSE and Dept of Health is top heavy and technically in the dark ages as regards records and such. The actual part of the system of curing and helping people works well its the admin and management that costs so much.
Doctors should do doctors work and managers manage the business. At times its the other way around.
Take it apart and start again is the only solution
Britain spends 125 billion with 70 million people we spend 20 billion with 4 million people. I suppose some Numpties are going to tell me that Britain are spending too little ???? Doing the math that means Britain should spend a 2.2 trillion. Scary isnt it ????
@Marcus o Dhonnghaile: £127 ( 142 billion euro) billion spend is on England alone ( pop 55 million).
Irish population is 4.7 million HSE spend is 17 billion.
Not sure where you are getting the 2.2 trillion?
I find this scary, but for different reasons.
have your say