Staff at An Post have voted to accept a two-year deal on pay worth 5 per cent, with almost 87 per cent of Communications Workers Union (CWU) members who participated in the ballot backing the agreement.
The increases are to be paid in three instalments with the first 2 per cent effective from January of this year, a further 1 per cent to be paid on July 1st and the final 2 per cent due on January 1st, 2027.
The deal also provides for the provision of a voucher worth €650 to be paid to staff with a pro rata equivalent for part-time workers.
Pensionable pay will also increase although that is subject to a cap of 2 per cent per year under the terms of a long-standing pensions accord.
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CWU general secretary Seán McDonagh said the outcome of ballot was “very welcome” although he was critical of what he suggested was the Government’s failure to provide more support to workers and their families in the last budget.
“While it [the pay deal] will provide certainty in earnings terms, our union’s focus now turns to the obligations on Government to respond to the higher inflationary costs for workers fuelled by recent budgets and the Government’s willingness to cave in to sectoral demands instead of a fairer and broader response to support workers and their families.
“In this regard, we fully support the demands of Irish Congress of Trade Union,” he said.
The agreement includes an extension of the company/union transformation agreement to the end of 2027 and an undertaking that there will be no cost-increasing claims during the period covered.
In a letter to the union confirming the offer, the company’s chief people officer, Eleanor Nash, referenced digitisation, including the roll out of AI and robotics, as one of the areas in which co-operation would be expected.
She said a joint working group would be introduced to discuss proposed changes in a number of areas including the establishment of a single national processing centre.
She said the company intended to reduce staff numbers in some administrative and other non-frontline roles as it prepares to relocate its headquarters and continues the evolution of its business model.
This would involve the introduction of a voluntary severance programme later this year.
In February, the company announced it would recruit an additional 300 delivery staff due to the ongoing growth in its parcel business. It said it had delivered three million parcels every week in the lead-up to Christmas with the growing volume of online shopping a key driver of growth.
Its chief executive, David McRedmond, said at the time capacity was an issue for the company due to the rate of increase in volumes.
