Sir, I am sure that I am not the only member of the public who is heartily sick of sudden industrial action upsetting business and pleasure.
The latest incident was disruption of postal services last Thursday, January 25th. Today, Friday 26th, we were told that talks would take place over the next three weeks and that in the meantime normal services would be resumed.
It must have been obvious to management and workers alike that there were potential areas of dissention in the new work practices. So, can anyone answer me a very simple question? Why were the discussions not opened three weeks or more ago? We all know that an agreement must be reached. Why should the public, who pay the salaries of all the disputants be inconvenienced, often without prior notice?
In many other disputes we have been told that "Agreement was reached in the small hours of the morning after intense negotiation. Shutdown of the plant was averted at the last minute." Are we supposed to applaud these negotiators for staying out of their beds? Rude comments come to my mind but the relatively mild one of "balderdash" will suffice. Meaningful negotiations from both sides of the boardroom table well ahead of any deadline would mean that they could all get their nights' sleep and be much clearer mentally to carry on discussions during normal working hours. We hear about the same sort of looney goings on at higher levels where those we pay to govern our various countries career madly around the world and while still jet lagged launch into discussions which could affect the lives of human beings for generations to come. Can I ask them, for all our sakes, to grow up? Yours, etc., Proby Square, Blackrock, Co Dublin.