Postal services face a new threat of disruption in the run-up to Christmas following a ballot in favour of industrial action by workers in An Post.
Members of the Communications Workers' Union voted by a nine-to-one majority for action up to and including a strike in the event of the company breaking existing agreements.
The union says the company's decision to close its parcels division, SDS, which it confirmed this week, is such a breach, and will trigger industrial action.
No action can take place next week, until a seven-day notice period has expired, but some disruption the following week is likely.
Mr Seán McDonagh, the union's national officer for An Post, said he believed industrial action before Christmas was "completely unavoidable".
The timing and nature of any action is expected to be decided by the union's executive at a meeting next Friday.
An all-out strike, however, is considered unlikely. It is anticipated that the union is more likely to engage initially in short-term stoppages or other forms of limited action.
Postal staff earn increased overtime during the pre-Christmas rush, and would be unlikely to jeopardise this through all-out industrial action.
Mr McDonagh said, however, the union would have no option but to respond to the SDS closure, which will cost 270 jobs.
The union is campaigning for a reversal of the closure decision, arguing it was based on flawed financial projections.
An Post has already written to more than 3,000 SDS customers, however, advising them of a withdrawal of their account facilities from December 1st.
Mr McDonagh said proceeding with the closure was a breach of an agreement last year between the company and the union on a restructuring of SDS. As part of that agreement, any issues in dispute were to have been referred to the Labour Court.
The result of a second CWU ballot, on work practice changes and pay, is due on December 10th. If members, as expected, reject the terms on offer, plans by An Post to implement a recovery plan are likely to be delayed until next year.
An Post declined to comment on the result of the strike ballot.
