Sinn Fein TDs back the postal workers - Government has its head in the sand - Ó Caoláin

BY ROBBIE SMYTH

Sean Crowe TD on the postal march

Sinn Féin TDs Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin, Sean Crowe and Martin Ferris have all called for support his week for the postal workers. Ó Caoláin said that Bertie Ahern's response to the dispute showed the Government "had its head in the sand as a vital State service is downgraded".

Ó Caoláin believes that An Post is "one of the key and essential services provided by the State and owned and paid for by the people. It is an essential element of the social and economic infrastructure and any undermining of it must have very serious consequences".

The management of An Post's finances and the breach of national wage agreements was also raised by Ó Caoláin, as was the value and role of An Post in Irish society. Ó Caoláin said, "We are witnessing the destruction of the postal service. This is a national asset."

The Sinn Féin TD also maintains that the coalition government are "prepared to stand over this and over the loss of services" and that Bertie Ahern is prepared "to see the most profitable services gobbled up by private operators while the social service provided by An Post is destroyed".

Sinn Féin spokesperson on Communications, Seán Crowe TD, called for a full public debate and inquiry in -to the crisis at An Post. Crowe said: "There are serious questions that need to be answered in relation to the management of An Post since it was established."

Some of the questions raised by Crowe included: "Why has there been little or no investment in the company since 1984? Why was the company allowed to go for eleven years without a price increase for services? Why would you scale down your parcel service when that is the one area of the postal delivery business that shows the best signs for potential growth? And crucially, why in 2003 did An Post forecast a profit of €1 million for that year but three months later a new CEO said there would be a loss of €46 million? None of this makes any sense and needs to be rigorously investigated."

Martin Ferris, Sinn Féin spokesperson on Rural Affairs, noted An Post workers' concerns over "the gradual withdrawal of postal and related services from rural communities".

Ferris said: "Those who work in the postal services, along with those who work in other public services, like health education, transport and so on, have a real vision of how they can be made work for the benefit of all. I hope that this Government starts to take some of that on board."