Talks will take place in Dublin today in an attempt to resolve a dispute which could affect postal deliveries next week. Representatives of An Post and the Irish Postmasters' Union (IPU) will discuss a threat by postmasters and postmistresses throughout the State to disrupt the sorting of post from Monday.
IPU general secretary Mr John Kane said allowances for early-morning work were "insufficient", while staff were not being paid at all for carrying out other functions.
"Our members have been, traditionally, a conservative group, and they have been exploited by An Post because of that. They have now reached a stage where they believe in demanding value for their work," he said.
An Post runs 100 of the State's 1,800 post offices, with the remainder run by members of the IPU as sub-contractors. If the dispute went ahead, none of his members would sort post, Mr Kane said.