A row between An Post and the biggest union at the company intensified yesterday, increasing the threat of a national postal strike. Chris Dooley, Industry and Employment Correspondent, reports.
The Communications Workers' Union (CWU), however, postponed making a decision on implementing the strike until Monday.
The union, which represents 90 per cent of An Post's workers, including delivery staff, has already balloted by a six-to-one majority for industrial action.
Following a meeting of its executive council yesterday, it accused An Post of introducing unilateral work changes without agreement with staff.
An Post in turn insists that the CWU has failed to implement productivity agreements for which its members have been paid.
Mr Seán McDonagh, a national officer with the union, said the executive council had decided to make a public appeal to management to re-engage with the union on all outstanding issues.
Talks between the two sides on a major cost-cutting plan proposed by the company ended without agreement before Christmas. Since then relations have worsened following the company's decision to plead inability to pay the 3 per cent pay increase due to staff at the beginning of the year under Sustaining Progress.
Even if its cost-saving plans are implemented, the company has warned, it faces an operating loss of €30.6 million this year, following a projected €46.4 million loss last year. It has accused the union of "jumping out" of the talks without advance notice.
In a letter yesterday to the An Post chief executive, Mr Donal Curtin, Mr McDonagh accuses the company of "cherry-picking" from a previous agreement by imposing new inward sortation arrangements this week.
The letter called on the company to withdraw the new arrangement "in order to avoid a wholly unnecessary national postal dispute".
The ballot already taken by members concerned what the union claims is the failure of the company to implement a number of pay and reward deals.
The ballot also related to the union's unhappiness at the Government's failure to implement an agreement to establish an employee share ownership plan (ESOP) for An Post staff.