Businesses critical of An Post price increase request
The business organisation ISME is calling on Communications Minister Dermot Ahern to withdraw the latest An Post price increase application.
Price increases of between 17% and 104% are being requested by An Post from August 1. This is on top of the 8% increase granted in March last year.
According to ISME, this latest increase request is set against a background where An Post has clearly failed to achieve its promised projected cost reductions.
ISME Chief Executive Mark Fielding says the price increases will have a long-term negative impact.
"Management needs to address the cost base, rather than incessantly looking for price increases, the easy option, which will have a negative effect on demand in the long term.
"By An Post's own admission, the service has the potential to more than double its postal operation, which would still be only at the European average. Someone needs to tell the management that you don't stimulate growth by increasing prices by 104%".
