Postal union votes to accept pay proposals

The Irish Postmasters' Union (IPU) has voted to accept new proposals aimed at ending the long-running postal dispute.

The deal, which offers increased pay for working on Saturdays and before 8 a.m. on weekdays, was passed by the majority of IPU members, who run more than 1,700 sub-post offices across the State. Under the new deal, postmasters would also no longer be required to sort mail.

The vote essentially puts an end to the dispute that had threatened to seriously disrupt services in the approach to Christmas.

An Post today welcomed the result of the ballot saying it expected postal services to return to normal over the next few days.

However, another threat to postal services arose this morning after staff at eight rural sub-offices refused to return to work.

It is understood the workers are unhappy at the conditions in the sub-offices and want to be allowed sort mail and operate from the main An Post offices, which they have been using for past three weeks.

The workers, who are represented by the Communication Workers Union (CWU), have using the main company offices under a temporary arrangement brought about by the postmasters' dispute.

But a spokesman for the CWU said he was confident the situation could be resolved. He said a number of workers were dissatisfied with "sub-standard accommodation" in many of the sub-offices.

The offices affected are understood to be at Mountbellew in Co Galway; Templemore in Co Tipperary; Mitchelstown, Co Cork; Castlecomer, Co Kilkenny; Kilmaley, Co Clare; and Abbeyleix, Portarlingtona and Mountmellick in Co Laois.