POSTAL deliveries in Dublin and deliveries of all incoming international mail are once again under threat. The Communications Workers' Union has served a week's strike notice on An Post at the £15 million Dublin Mail Centre which handles over 1 million items of mail a day. The notice runs out at midnight next Monday.
The strike has been called over a number of long running issues at the DMC but it is complicated by the company's threat to dismiss a senior shop steward at the centre. The union, in turn, has made it clear that management must withdraw its threat of dismissal as a precondition to entering talks to resolve the dispute.
However, the company said last night it could have no further dealing with the union representative concerned. It said normal industrial relations procedures were being ignored and regretted the union's decision. The strength of feeling among the workforce is indicated by the vote, with 353 for strike action and only 21 against.
Working conditions at the centre on the Naas Road have been a cause of conflict between the CWU and An Post since it opened in January 1994. Last Christmas, a strike was averted by the Labour Relations Commission when it intervened and issued a series of recommendations.
The union accuses An Post of failing to implement the LRC proposals and 10 days ago there was industrial action again at the centre, threatening disruption of mail. Both sides held preliminary talks at the LRC on July 8th and these were due to resume the following Wednesday.
But the general secretary of the CWU, Mr David Begg, said only minutes before that meeting was due to begin, he was handed a letter by An Post's director of personnel Mr Jack Russell, stating that disciplinary proceedings were being taken against a senior shop steward at the DMC. He said Mr Russell made it clear the shop steward faced dismissal.
This is the first time in the history of the union that a union representative had been treated in this way, Mr Begg said. It is a seminal moment and marks a change in the way industrial relations are being conducted in the company.
Unions are prohibited from taking industrial action over the dismissal of an individual member, but the CWU has made it clear it will not allow a shop steward to be singled out. Mr Begg said withdrawal of Mr Russell's letter was a precondition to any talks to resolve the wider issues.
Even if this happens, it is far from clear that the dispute can be easily resolved. Most of the issues involve long running complaints about working conditions which the CWU says the company has repeatedly failed to address.
Among the complaints are lack of adequate ventilation in toilets at the DMC, the obligation on many staff to remain standing all day on sorting duties and lack of privacy for female workers in the changing areas.
The rising number of casual staff is another cause of concern. The Price Waterhouse report on An Post showed the ratio of casuals had risen from the 5 per cent agreed between management and union to over 15 per cent. Mr Begg says the figure is now approaching 20 per cent.
The company could have used the opening of the DMC as an opportunity to "leave behind their old autocratic management style", Mr Begg said last night. Instead it had transferred those attitudes and practices to the new centre.