An Post has further deferred controversial plans to relocate sorting services from Sixmilebridge and Newmarket-on-Fergus post offices in Co Clare to nearby Shannon town, a move which staff and local politicians vehemently opposed.
The company notified postal delivery staff at both post offices that they should report for duty in Shannon on February 20th and that they would be operating from that centre in the future.
That move was later postponed "in the short-term" by An Post without offering any explanation to workers, while a second planned move, about which staff were not even informed, has also been deferred.
An Post now says the change will be made, "in co-operation with our staff later this year".
However, workers claim that they were not notified of the original move and that consultation on the plans had not taken place.
The Communications Workers Union has since become involved and has met the company, however no agreement has been reached. Workers say they remain "100 per cent opposed" to the move. At present, letter and parcel post for Newmarket-on-Fergus and Sixmilebridge are sorted on site at the respective post offices. Ten delivery staff are employed between the two offices and moving them to Shannon would see a doubling of staff at that sorting centre.
An Post has already acknowledged that there have been "some customer service issues" in Shannon and that centralising services there would improve service and efficiency.
The company said it would be speaking with staff before any decisions are made public. Sources have said however that there has been no discussion about the proposed plans and that staff were notified by letter.
Local councillor John Crowe says he was "totally opposed to any plan which would see a dilution of services in either village. Sixmilebridge and Newmarket are expanding all the time and, if anything, An Post should be upgrading facilities and services here. The population is growing in these areas and what we need are more not less services".
Others have expressed concerns that An Post plans to close the post offices at Sixmilebridge and Newmarket-on-Fergus.
An Post has said however that neither post office is at risk of closure. "Any changes to mail collection and delivery arrangements that may result have no bearing whatsoever on post office operations in those areas. Any suggestion, from any quarter, to the contrary is utterly without foundation," the company has said.
In a statement this week An Post confirmed that "in order to improve both our delivery service to business and private customers and our operational efficiency, it is planned to operate delivery services for the Shannon, Newmarket-on-Fergus and Sixmilebridge areas out of the Shannon Delivery Services Unit.
"It is expected that this change will be made, in co-operation with our staff, later this year."