Proposals to transfer a large number of post offices to third party agencies signalled a potential "death warrant" for sub-post offices, the Irish Postmasters' Union declared yesterday after a meeting of its executive committee.
The union, which represents staff in 90 per cent of the State's 1,800 post offices, is to meet again in Portlaoise on August 19th to discuss the proposals to transfer post offices to retail outlets or petrol stations.
The proposals were put forward by an inter-departmental working group set up to study the post office network.
In a statement, the union accused the Minister for Public Enterprise, Ms O'Rourke, of performing a U-turn and of "stabbing postmasters in the back". It maintained that the proposed "agency concept" would be "a potential death warrant for sub-post offices as they exist today".
The executive committee of the IPU met in emergency session yesterday to finalise a plan of action. Mr Anthony Clinton, its acting general secretary, accused Ms O'Rourke of "running with the hare and hunting with the hound" on the issue.
Mr Clinton said that his members wanted clarification of the Minister's statement on Tuesday that a Government presence would be maintained in the post office network throughout Ireland.
