A threat of further industrial unrest in the postal sector remains despite a positive meeting yesterday between union leaders and the Minister for Communications, Mr Dempsey.
Representatives of the Communications Workers' Union (CWU)held discussions for two-and-a-half hours with Mr Dempsey and some of his senior officials. The Irish Congress of Trade Unions general secretary, Mr David Begg, also attended the meeting and expressed concern at An Post's failure to pay increases due to its staff under Sustaining Progress.
The company has pleaded inability to pay the increases, which would have cost it more than €20 million this year. As a result it is set to break even in 2004.
Mr Steve Fitzpatrick, general secretary of the CWU, said Mr Dempsey and his officials had taken "copious notes" at yesterday's meeting. He said he hoped the Minister could come up with "a roadmap or a process" that would enable An Post and the union to address the issues in dispute. If this could be done, and the Sustaining Progress increases paid, industrial action in the new year could be avoided, he said.
"The intervention of the Minister and the Irish Congress of Trade Unions are positive developments and I would like to think they could lead to a resolution. But until there is a process in place and members have received the increases due to them, the threat of industrial action is still hanging over us," he said.
Plans by An Post to restructure its collection and delivery service, which include 1,450 job cuts, were overwhelmingly rejected by CWU members in a recent ballot. The issues in dispute have now been referred to the Labour Court for adjudication next year.
Mr Fitzpatrick, however, said there were 84 separate items of disagreement and he did not believe the Labour Court would attempt to address all of them.
Instead, it would be more likely to seek renewed talks between the parties or send the issues back to the Labour Relations Commission.