An Post and representatives of the Communications Workers' Union (CWU) met with the National Implementation Body (NIB) separately this afternoon in a bid to avert a postal strike this Friday.
The meetings follow an intervention by the Minister for Communications Noel Dempsey. Industrial disputes are usually only referred to the NIB when all other avenues of resolution have been exhausted.
Minister for Communications Noel Dempsey
The NIB has said it would consider the issues overnight and contact the parties tomorrow.
With the strike notice due to expire on Friday, concern has been deepening over the effect of a postal strike on businesses and the public in the run-up to Christmas.
The CWU has accused An Post of failing to pay cost of living increases to workers and pensioners under the Sustaining Progress national agreement.
The Labour Court recommended in July that the increases be paid, provided postal staff agreed to a range of work-practice changes in the company's collection and delivery service.
This was accepted by An Post but rejected by the union, which says the pay increases and work practice changes are separate issues and should not be linked. The CWU represents about nine-tenths of the company's workers.
Members of other unions in An Post are to receive the Sustaining Progress increases in full as a result of three new Labour Court recommendations issued yesterday.
The court found that members of the AHCPS, PSEU and CPSU had either implemented work-practice changes required of them or had committed to doing so.
The recommendations were accepted by the company, which said workers and pensioners concerned would receive increases that would add €4.8 million to its pay bill.