CWU Threat of Industrial Action is Irresponsible

4 October 2005

An Post is deeply disappointed at the decision by the Communications Workers Union CWU) to ballot its members for industrial action. Any threat of disruption to the postal service is seriously damaging to An Post, to customers and to the economy in general. It can only serve to jeopardise the future of the company and its staff in an increasingly competitive business environment as we prepare for the next stage of market liberalisation in January 2006 and full liberalisation by 2009.

Time and time again, An Post has made clear its intention to pay the full terms of Sustaining Progress to all employees provided that part of the €60 million annual cost of paying the national wage agreement can be recouped through the elimination of outdated, inflexible, overtime-ridden, restrictive practices which have a stranglehold on mail collection and delivery operations in An Post.

This utterly irresponsible decision by the CWU shows complete disrespect for those institutions of the State involved in dispute resolution, whose officers have worked tirelessly and intensively over the past two years to secure agreement on the introduction of a fair, reasonable and long-overdue change programme.

It is completely unacceptable that the CWU should attempt to hold the company and State to ransom by refusing to engage meaningfully and honestly on the subject of change, choosing instead a destructive, outdated and utterly inappropriate threat of industrial action and service disruption.

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