What's Going On with An Post?

I think that Charlie Bird needs to get on the case! Anyone know his email address?
 
speaking from personal experience, the post started going really really bad in Blackrock two weeks ago - I am currently waiting for three letters I know about out - it is not unusual for Dublin items to be taking at least a week .....
 
Someone told me yesterday that they rang An Post asking about posting an urgent A4 envelope. Reply? better to send it by courier!
 
I posted 2 A4 envelopes on Tuesday. One arrived at it's destination the next day (I don't know the status of the other). I don't know if it's relevant, but it was posted from one Dublin 1 address to another
 
Workers in An Post voted for strike action with two weeks notice. Think some areas of Dublin are more affected than others by staff shortages, etc. Happy Christmas - no cards to post eh? Always a bright side!
 
I think it's ridiculous that they ALWAYS plan their strikes around Christmas time... It's expected! I've never heard such carry-on in other countries! Talk about hitting below the belt.

-soc
 

Brilliant, write a letter complaining about Letter's not getting delivered!!!!!
An Post would be delighted they'd get paid for every complaint in writing that's sent (regardless of whether they receive it). If we all start buying stamps to complain every time a letter is late they'll make a fortune.

I've been the victim of a few missing packages that show up eventually. It's a real pain because if you've sent money for something, how long do you leave it before wondering if it was ever sent. Is it fair to blame the sender when you know that in all probability it's An Post. If I were selling on Ebay I'd have concerns about mailing items to Ireland.

I'm currently waiting for a DVD from the UK. Another mailed on the same day from the same place arrived safe and sound. The seller's are very helpful and I don't blame them at all, they've always been excellent.

Can't say the strike threat surprises me. Sounds about right. Funny listening to the Last Word This evening to have the head of the union claim that they'd have public support. I don't think he's got is finger on the pulse of the nation.

-Rd
 
daltonr said:
Funny listening to the Last Word This evening to have the head of the union claim that they'd have public support. I don't think he's got is finger on the pulse of the nation.

-Rd
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Nver mind having the finger on the pulse of the nation, if they got the finger out and done their job things wouldn't be in the mess it is in.

Caveat : before anyone lambasts me with messages looking for backup to the above statement. It is my opinion based on what I have read in the papers and heard on the news. You are entitled to your own opinion.
 
Sent a small packet to Sweden on Wednesday, 19th October and it arrived today - Saturday, 22nd October!!! That's really fast.

I've been putting red 'Urgent' stickers on all the packets - maybe that's helping? I don't know, but I hope the strike doesn't go ahead!
 
If you put urgent on it some bad imclined postie will delay it.
Fragile and they throw it around and stamp on it. Best not to draw attention.
 
If An Post paid the workers the money owed to them going back several years, the workers wouldn't be striking. If someone owed us money we have a solicitor after them by now. Yet management expect these workers to increase their workload, no extra money and not get the payments due years ago? Who would call that fair I wonder?
 

I don't for a second think management are blameless in all of this, but it's not as clear cut as you're making out either.

The unions were the ones who wanted to go to the labour court, because they were sure it would award them their money. The company must have thought so too because it refused to be bound by the findings.

When the Labour Court sided with the company suddenly it was the unions who didn't want to be bound by it's findings. And then they have the gaul to complain that the management refused to be bound by it.

This situation is a Mess. I don't think we're hearing the truth from either side. It looks to me like a combination of hard nosed management with little time for the unions, and hard nosed unions who won't accept that their company is no longer the state run charity shop that it used to be, and it'll go broke when faced with competition from real companies.

In the short term consumers will lose out. In the medium term the workers will lose, and in the long term the Management will all move on to other lucrative jobs in other Semi-States or Government task forces.

By 2009 it'll all be resolved and we can get our post delayed or mislaid by any one of a number of companies.

-Rd
 
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Nothing is every clear cut but 3 things I learned might be of interest (Cuchulainn's dad could correct me if incorrect but here goes.... 1) the issue originally was cost of living increase, not productivity but these got fudged together to suit management 2) Posties max is 440 per week coming up to retirement (we had new addition to our workforce last week start on 470 per week - junior position! and 3) why refuse an independent audit inspection when the management pleaded inability to pay worker but pay themselves increases if nothing to hide?
 
I think An Post workers need to be very careful. I think the management and the Government are setting them up for a fall. The union needs to be very careful with the form of action that they will take. Get the public onside. If management stone wall over the next few weeks I would worry for the union. Tomthumb the public need to hear these issues.
 
tombthumb,

I only know what I've heard on the radio, and you're right the Cost of Living increase seemed to be one of if not THE big concern for the Union spokesman I heard.

Personally I'm against cost of living increases. Paying people more increases the cost of living, which in turn creates demands for more cost of living increases. But that aside, I can see why a Union would use inflation as a bargaining point.

The issue here is no longer about right and wrong, it's about winning and losing. If the Unions go on strike in the run up to Christmas THEY WILL LOSE PUBLIC SUPPORT (What little is left of it).

The management and the minister will sit at home at Christmas with Grins so big the Blackrock clinic won't be able to remove them.

The governments are setting themselves up to be as much the victim as the general public. If the Union thinks the public will turn on the management or the government they are wrong.

The general perception among the general public about Unions particularly in Public Sector or Semi-State companies is that they don't give a damn about the consumer, and they'll use any excuse to screw more money out of the company.

They see benchmarking as a government buying the support of a certain section of workers, to preserve Public Partnership, and keep Bertie in the Taoiseach's chair.

They don't see the differentials WITHIN public sector and semi state companies. They don't realise that Gardai have gotten huge pay increases while Teachers and Nurses have gotten relatively little. They don't know how much Postmen get paid.

The Union would be better served educating the public rather than pissing them off. There's a reason why your Union spokesman is a Union Spokesman and not a highly paid Advertising executive. He doesn't understand the public.

-Rd
 
Live in Dublin !8 . Deliveries are no longer daily & a cheque for over 100K posted in Dublin 2 took almost 2 weeks to get here. No comeback on lost interest.
 
Dad is on a pension of around €230 a week. he is not entitled to the state old age pension. in the days when he got married my mum had to leave work as women were not allowed to remain on at work. She did however return to part time work in the 70's and as a result has her own old age pension. Just as well as neither are in the full health (but they are ok.). I dont get too involved with him on this subject as it only annoys him to see the postmen a) not getting paid what he thinks they are due b) not doing their work they way he did and c) he got a little booklet a few weeks ago in the post and the post office pension scheme has 1.7billion euro in it. Read that again 1.7 billion euro and they are pleading inability to pay the pensioners. Something wrong somewhere. the last management in an post have apparantly taken out civil actions against the current management as they (new) management said the last crowd left an post with a hidden loss of €40 or something like that but the last management are disputing that. probably be settled out of court anyway and at the current workers expense no doubt. I have no doubt that when the dust settles the 'new' management team will go off to more highly paid positions, no doubt with the governments blessing and the workers will be the real losers. we all have emails now and most people dont need an post for the bills etc. again except for the poorer amoung us who rely on the post office for their pension, social welare and to pay their bills and who dont have computers . always the people at the bottom who suffer. somethings never change.
 
cuchulainn said:
Dad is on a pension of around €230 a week. he is not entitled to the state old age pension.
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I presume that his non-eligibility for the state OAP is due to the fact that he paid the old public servant reduced PRSI rate for his working career - right?
 
He was classed as a civil servant until 1984 and therefore didnt pay full prsi ( or stamp a full card as he calls it) more or less proves his point that he is owed his pension arrears. can you imagine the outcry there would be if civil servants didnt get their cost of living pension increases automatically. he didnt stamp a card as he was a civil servant until 1984, and therefore he and his colleagues appear to have been mislead by the 1984 act which apparantly stated that he would be no worse off by being a public servant from being a civil servant. From where I stand it would appear you cannot trust any government to keep its word. My dad got up most days at around 5am and went out in all weather and it was his understanding that when he retired that he and his colleagues would be looked after. and this was long before the celtic tiger. and what happens. He and his mates are left without their pension increases when theres a fund (of 1.68billion or so) well capable of funding the small increses they are due. the government would never ever dream of not increasing old age pensons ( or child benefit or single parent allowance or disability allowance or unemployment benefits etc) in the budget because of the outcry it would provoke yet they are quite content to sit by and watch people who worked from they were 14 to 65 in the post office do without their just entitlements. Shameful.
 
I think that Charlie Bird needs to get on the case! Anyone know his email address?
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Bond, you are too subtle for these boards. Just read this thread today. Brilliant.
 
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