Post offices across the country will close for one hour today to protest at EU plans to allow competition in the postal sector.
An Post announced outlets nationwide will shut down between 1pm and 2pm.
A spokesman said: "An Post regrets the inconvenience caused to our customers as a result of this action and advise that counter services will resume as normal from 2pm."
Last October the EU Commission issued the first draft of the third postal directive which confirmed January 2009 as the date for full postal liberalisation across the EU.