Over the past ten years, Ireland has seen the closure of more than 257 post offices. In my own constituency, the Mount Merrion post office closed in 2021 and the Kilmacud post office closed just a few weeks ago on 11 February. Residents now face up to 40 minutes of a commute to reach a basic amenity. Both of those post offices closed as a result of An Post being unable to recruit new postmasters to keep the services running. Unfortunately, this issue has been developing for some time across the country. The fact is that the postmaster employment model no longer functions in modern Irish society. Over the years, the duties and responsibilities of postmasters have developed to include vital community services, like welfare payments, government services and parcel deliveries. While the demands have increased, the business model has not evolved to match them. Postmasters are essentially treated as independent contractors with neither the rewards nor the recognition that accompany a public service job. They are held to bogus self-employment, doing the same work as full employees without receiving any of the benefits associated with direct employment. This is an arrangement that An Post and successive Governments have embraced for too long. It is not fair and it is not good enough. Is seirbhís riachtanach í oifig an phoist. Is áit í ina dtagann daoine le chéile agus ina mbíonn seans ag daoine ar scor a chuid comharsan a fheiceáil go seachtainiúil. Trí easpa oifigí, táimid á dhéanamh níos deacra do gach duine litir a chur chuig cara, pacáiste a chur, nó na seirbhísí ar fad atá ar fáil trí An Post a úsáid. Is léir go bhfuil gá le hathrú sa chóras más mian linn dul i ngleic leis seo. The postmaster represents so much more to our society than delivering messages. Across the country they stand for communication, financial access, history and community. They play an invaluable role in the social fabric of Irish life and should be treated as such. While I welcome the increase in Government funding of €75 million to help the An Post network, I question what good this will do when we continue to perpetuate an employment model that only mistreats our postmasters. This Government and An Post must develop a more sustainable model to ensure postmasters can continue to deliver their vital services while receiving basic employment benefits.

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