Group vows to fight Cork mail centre closure
A group claiming to represent around 100 members of staff at An Post’s Cork Mail Centre has vowed to campaign against the company’s decision to close the Little Island facility.
Last month, An Post announced it was reducing the number of mail sorting centres from four to three, with the Little Island operation chosen for closure ahead of similar facilities in Athlone and Portlaoise.
The decision, which will result in more than 200 job losses, has been criticised by opposition political parties. Last week the Dáil passed a Solidarity-People Before Profit motion calling on the Government to instruct An Post to reverse the decision.
Last Saturday, a group of 100 affected workers met in the Vienna Woods Hotel in Glanmire, and formed the Cork Mail Centre Action Group, which it said will “fight the closure and defend our jobs”.
The group said it is organising a peaceful demonstration on Saturday, July 20, with details of the protest to be finalised.
“All An Post workers and members of the public will be invited to attend this demonstration,” the group said.
We fail to see the necessity of closing a strategically placed hub when An Post is experiencing a major boom in the parcel market.
“We are calling on An Post and the Government to respect the decision of the Dáil which voted overwhelmingly last week to support saving the Mail Centre and the jobs.”
Communications Minister Richard Bruton has said he is legally prohibited from ordering An Post to reverse the decision.
“It is not for the Minister or for the Government or for the Dail to instruct An Post,” Mr Bruton said during the Dáil debate. “We have set up a way in which our state companies are managed, which gives the minister certain high level policy decisions, but in terms of commercial management working out of these decisions, that has to be done locally.”
