An Post began sealing postboxes in Dublin yesterday as efforts by the Labour Relations Commission (LRC) to try to resolve the postal dispute ended without agreement.
The dispute has severely disrupted postal services in many areas, including Dublin, where only "a fraction" of normal deliveries were made yesterday, according to a spokeswoman for An Post.
At least 525 workers had been suspended by the company at its Dublin Mail Centre in Clondalkin by yesterday afternoon, for refusing to carry out management instructions. A further 93 casual staff at delivery offices in Dublin also had their contracts suspended yesterday because the company had no work for them.
Discussions at the Labour Relations Commission ended shortly before 9 p.m. without achieving a breakthrough.
Representatives of the company and the Communications Workers' Union, including its general secretary Mr Con Scanlon, had attended the LRC for separate discussions yesterday afternoon.
The LRC convened the talks with a view to finding out if there might be a basis for direct discussions between the parties.
While the talks continued for longer than expected, the LRC chief executive, Mr Kieran Mulvey, said they had failed to bring about a common understanding between the parties.
There had been a number of "sticking points" between the sides, he said, relating to their interpretations of previous agreements. Mr Mulvey said the LRC remained available to assist the parties. The breakdown confirms, however, that an early resolution of the dispute is unlikely.
The union has insisted it will not enter direct talks with the company until all staff suspended since the dispute began at the weekend were put back on the payroll. However, Mr Mulvey said this was not the main point of contention in yesterday's discussions.
Mr Seán McDonagh, the union's national officer with responsibility for An Post, said it was "a matter of grave disappointment" that talks had broken down.
He claimed that "everyone except An Post management" agreed it was in the national interest to get talks started and a full postal service resumed.
Since the union had accepted the LRC's invitation to enter talks, the company had suspended 142 workers at the mail centre, he said.
"It is completely counterproductive to any progress in the talks that An Post management continues to suspend postal workers at the Dublin Mail Centre, thereby bringing the postal system to a halt. This type of action is not conducive to progress."
An Post claims it had no option but to suspend staff when they refused to carry out normal work practices. The union says changes at the centre had not been agreed.
A company spokesman last night said it too was disappointed that talks had broken down.
The company is asking customers not to post to or from Dublin city and county, Bray, Carrickmacross, Castleblayney, Drogheda, Dundalk, Kells, Greystones, Navan, Tuam and Wicklow. Postboxes in Drogheda have been sealed for a number of weeks because of an unofficial dispute concerning overtime.
