Bertie Ahern (Dublin Central, Fianna Fail)

Deputy Rabbitte is right. That is a major grievance. I have met, as I am sure he has, many of the individuals concerned. That was comprehensively dealt with in the Labour Court findings. Every one of us who has met any postal workers during the course of the year would have heard that issue raised but it has been dealt with.

I agree that many An Post workers are not highly paid. The company is under significant pressure. The hard reality is that there are now many private operators in the delivery business and e-mail and other technologies have taken a large part of the business. Postmen have told me that little post remains if the free post and the business we give them are removed from their deliveries, even though we are under pressure from the EU because of the competition aspect. Every three years there is a battle because the State is giving them work and the market is continually looking for that work. I do not know how long it will be before Europe comes down on that issue. In the past 20 years we have found good ways of holding on to these areas but the pressure is increasing.

It is not the case that the business is out there and everything is the same. Technology has changed the position. I accept the issue raised by Deputy Rabbitte is important but it is addressed in the Labour Court decision.

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