Communications Workers Union (CWU) members in Drogheda held a protest outside the town's general post office yesterday to highlight what they claim is the failure by An Post to recruit sufficient staff to deliver post in the area.
CWU spokesman Mr Brian Keane said that a recruitment ban had been put in place last year by the company in an effort to reduce costs. He said that in Drogheda, the problem had been made worse by one postman who had been out sick for a period of time and who was waiting to be reinstated by An Post.
He said that the postal delivery staff were trying to deliver as much mail as possible to ensure the public got the service it expected.
However, the volumes of post were such that they were reaching the maximum number of hours they were supposed to work under working hours rules.
The CWU spokesman also warned that by Christmas, entire regions might be affected because of the seasonal volume of mail involved.
However, a spokeswoman for An Post said that no attempt had been made by the union in Drogheda to raise the issue through "the correct procedures."
She also claimed the CWU had prevented the company from hiring casual staff over the summer to cover for staff holidays and "the time would be better spent raising the matter in the correct manner rather than a cheap publicity stunt".