Postal services resume as talks due to be held on dispute

Talks are due to begin on Tuesday between a union representing staff who maintain automated sorting equipment for An Post and the contractor, following the suspension of industrial action which halted postal services for four days.

Postal services have resumed on Monday afternoon after the Communications Workers Union, which represents staff at IO Systems, a contractor which maintains automated sorting equipment for An Post, said the industrial action had been called off after the company agreed to re-instate workers on their original rosters and pay levels.

Today’s talks will focus on finding a solution to revised rosters and consequent cuts to earnings which were at the heart of the dispute.

Postal services were badly disrupted over the weekend after 30 workers at IO Systems handed in strike notice on Friday.

The action effectively paralysed the postal system as around 80 per cent of all mail goes through an automated sorting system.

During the action An Post was advising customers not to post anything.

The suspension of the strike came on foot of the intervention of industrial relations mediator Phil Flynn.

Employees of IO Systems are unhappy with new rostering arrangements which they claim will result in an effective salary reduction of around 22 per cent for some workers.

An Post welcomed the agreement and said customers may now resume posting mail. It said normal working resumed in the mail centres last night, but it may take a number of days to restore normal service levels. It is understood there could be up to five million letters and parcels waiting to be sorted in the mail backlog.

In a statement, Minister for Communications Alex White welcomed the decision to suspend the action. "My officials have continued to monitor developments in the postal dispute today.

Department of Social Protection cheque payments by mail and Passport Express services will resume immediately.

In a statement, Minister for Communications Alex White welcomed the decision to suspend strike action.

“On Friday, and again this morning, I called on the parties to focus their efforts on finding a resolution that quickly ends the disruption to postal services,” he said. “I welcome the progress that has now been made and I hope that the parties will reach a speedy resolution of all the matters in dispute.”

The Communications’ Workers Union said in a statement last night it had agreed to suspend industrial action at IO Systems at the request of Mr Flynn and on foot of confirmation from the company that its workers, who had been on strike since midnight on Thursday, would be reinstated in their jobs at their agreed wage levels and rostering arrangements.

The union said it understood that new talks were being arranged through Mr Flynn involving IO Systems.