We can all agree the closure of a post office is a bad thing. I understand the need for consolidation and the business case for reducing the number of post offices because of the costs associated with each one but we have to recognise that each post office is more than just a monetary unit within An Post's business model. It is a community lifeline, it is a facility for the local community and it is a rallying point for people in that community. The loss of it is a loss for that community. I will speak of my constituency. People very often associate the closure of post offices as a rural feature, and obviously it does have a particular impact in rural communities where there is less of a population. However, in urban areas like Booterstown, for example, the Woodbine post office is closed. The post office has closed in Dalkey. They closed because the postmasters in question retired and there was nobody to replace them. It was not because the post office was unviable, or because it was not busy enough or there was no demand for it. It was because there was no person who was willing to take over that postmaster's role. Why is that? It is an important question we need to ask. The terms and conditions for postmasters are singularly unattractive. There are real problems with An Post's approach to remuneration and terms and conditions for postmasters. An example is the pension dispute that is going on. I am aware the Government has signed off on the 7% increase for An Post pensioners but they want their pension to be brought into parity with current postmaster pay. When Members of this House retire, their pension will be a function of the current pay of TDs but when postmasters retire, that is not what happens. There is an issue around parity there. How can you ask somebody to take up a postmaster position when the terms and conditions they are asked to operate under are not attractive enough for them to take it on? That is a major factor. I am aware of a post office in Leenaun, County Galway, where the postmaster retired. He had been paying somebody to do part-time work in the post office so he could tend to other things. Notwithstanding the fact he was paying that person out of his own pocket, when the point came for him to get the lump sum for his retirement, he was denied it because he had employed somebody. It makes no sense whatsoever and An Post really needs to re-examine the basis on which it remunerates postmasters.

Sentiment score: -0.13