A report has found that the loss of the social welfare contract to An Post would result in the closure of around 557 Post Offices across the country.
The report, commissioned by the Irish Postmasters’ Union, has been launched at a briefing in Dublin with Oireachtas members and media in attendance. The report showed that by 2017 there would be 557 fewer Post Offices than the 1,150 currently operating, a decline of 48%.
However, if direct electronic payments are introduced and 75% of payments are made via EFT, the figure is estimated to be 39%.
Brian McGann, General Secretary of the Irish Postmasters’ Union, commented on the report: “We may have won the [welfare payments] contract in theory, but the business is being diverted away on a daily basis. We cannot survive if this continues. We know that the Programme for Government contains a commitment to maintain the network of Post Offices but we are in no doubt that the network is under serious threat.
“There is no plan in place to ensure that that commitment is honoured and we need one urgently. We are not against Government-we know they are supportive of us-but we want an action plan and timelines that will prevent Post Office closures.”
© 2014 - Checkout Magazine by Karis Copp
