Postal dispute, Parties to consider LRC proposals
A last minute difficulty in the postal dispute talks has arisen tonight. An Post management and the Communication Workers' Union have differed over the status of 92 postal workers who had been laid off during the course of the postal dispute.
The workers did not work at the Dublin Mails Centre but were laid off because of a lack of mail in the postal system. The CWU had assumed that under the terms of the LRC proposal these workers would be reinstated alongside more than 500 workers at the DMC.
However, it now appears management did not understand this to be the case. The LRC is to discuss the matter with the parties tomorrow.
Meanwhile, the CWU has instructed its workers to return to work tonight as planned but it described An Post's attitude as mean spirited.
CWU & AN Post to enter talks
The CWU earlier confirmed that it will enter talks with An Post management under the terms of a Labour Relations Commission proposal. The union said the decision was unanimous and it thanked the LRC for its diligence and professionalism.
An Post said it will begin to unseal letterboxes 'as soon as possible' and the postal service can then start getting back to normal.
The commission had proposed that talks on the future of the company take place to a very tight timescale, and that suspended workers be reinstated.
In a statement earlier, An Post management said it was ready to start serious discussions with the union on the future of the company. The company was especially pleased by the commission's proposal that there should be a six-week timeframe for talks.
The union announcement paves the way for workers at the centre to be reinstated from this evening, though that issue was not specifically mentioned in the company's statement.
Ahern welcomes developments
Meanwhile, the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources, has welcomed the agreement of both sides in the postal dispute to resume talks.
Dermot Ahern said he was looking forward to an early resumption of services for customers.
He said serious issues confronted management and but he believed that the talks process, under the auspices of the Labour Relations Commission, could achieve resolutions.
