Postmasters to protest at Taoiseach’s office

Áine Ryan

POSTMASTERS and the communities they serve are set to protest outside An Taoiseach, Enda Kenny’s Castlebar office at 12 noon today (Tuesday). The Irish Postmasters’ Union (IPU) has said in a statement that the Taoiseach ‘must take responsibility for the current political fiasco regarding the Post Office Network and Postmasters will be calling for his resignation if he does not act swiftly to clarify the situation’.
The protestors are ‘demanding clarity on what action Government will take to save 600 Post Offices’ throughout rural Ireland . They claim that the ‘responsibility for the Post Office Network has fallen into a political limbo, after Minister of State Michael Ring handed back responsibility for the Network to Minister Naughten, following a reported heated exchange at the Cabinet’.
They highlighted the recent closure of  Knockmore Post Office as a case in point.
While welcoming a programme established by Minister Ring, in ‘which Government has agreed to pilot additional social services through four rural Post Offices involving a Government investment of €100,000’, they argue ‘it does not address what is required’
IPU President and North West spokesperson, Paddy McCann, said that the future of the Network is being compromised by a lack of leadership and clarity from Government.
 “There is a lot of talk and no action on the Post Offices Network. Surely, the Taoiseach does not want his legacy to be the closure of hundreds of Post Offices. It is imperative that we have leadership coming from the Taoiseach and Minister Naughten.
 “The Bobby Kerr led Post Office Network Strategy Board report involved input from Postmasters, An Post and Government and is finalised since last December. However, following a new Chief Executive coming to An Post, and a separate report he has commissioned from Consultants McKinsey, all this work has come to a halt.”
 “This is not acceptable. Communities want their Post Office to stay open and postmasters will work to honour this. This Government gave its commitment to the network at election time and in the Programme for Government. It is now time to walk the walk.”
Minister Denis Naughten has been invited to attend the Postmasters’ Annual Conference in Westport on May 6 and 7 next. It is hoped he will then directly address  members and provide clarity on what he intends to do to resolve the issues.
The Irish Postmasters’ Union wants clarity from the Taoiseach on the future of this number of post offices