Social welfare recipients, businesses and seasonal mail will be hit by a one-day stoppage by workers at An Post next Wednesday after the union representing staff at the company voted today for strike action.
The Communications Workers' Union (CWU) executive met this morning to decide on the form of industrial action it would take over a number of issues, including the company's decision to close its parcel delivery service SDS with the loss of around 450 jobs.
The company accused the CWU of an "attack" on social welfare recipients and of undermining public confidence in the mail system following the strike decision.
The CWU said, however, it was striking against "multiple breaches of agreement" by an "out-of-control" management at An Post. It accused the company of "unprovoked attacks" on the unions and of "belligerence".
Wednesday's national action will culminate in a protest outside Leinster House, which the CWU called on workers from across the country to attend. CWU general secretary Mr Steve Fitzpatrick said: "The day of protest next Wednesday is the first step in a vigorous campaign of action by this union and its members to rescue the national postal service from wanton and senseless destruction by an incompetent and untrustworthy management at An Post."
He said the national postal service was not the "private plaything" of the chief executive or the board of An Post but was a State asset owned by the Government and the people.
"It would amount to an abject failure of democratic accountability if the nation's post office were decimated without a full national debate about the consequences for all its stakeholders - the customers, the staff, the shareholder and not least for vulnerable groups such as those who are regionally isolated, small businesses, the elderly, the disabled, and low income families," he said.
The CWU also said further industrial action was "inevitable" if An Post's senior management continued to ignore workers' rights under Sustaining Progress.
An Post management statement
In a statement, An Post said the decision to strike "is a thoughtless rejection of the legitimate interests of pensioners, the unemployed and others dependant on social welfare payments".
"Thousands of welfare recipients will be unable to claim their benefits during the 24-hour closure and thousands more - due to receive payments on Thursday and Friday will be similarly affected - due to the action of the CWU," the statement said.
"The union is contriving a dispute with management where there is none. There can be no dispute about the difficult but necessary business decision of the board of An Post."
An Post said the CWU was "ignoring agreed industrial relations procedures" by taking unofficial industrial action which would "accelerate the undermining of public confidence" in the mail system. It would also deliver "a further damaging blow to a business which is in decline and had an operational loss of €43m last year".
"What is needed urgently is for the union to abandon its denial of the financial difficulties of An Post and to engage meaningfully at the Labour Relations Commission in the ongoing process to resolve difficulties surrounding the implementation of new work practices.
"Belligerent action against an important public service, the repudiation of an agreement - brokered by the LRC - on Christmas arrangements and an attack on welfare recipients can only worsen long term prospects for An Post, its customers and stakeholders," the statement concluded.