Eamon Ryan (Dublin South, Green Party)

I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Gallagher, for taking this matter on behalf of his senior Minister. What is it about the Minister, Deputy Noel Dempsey, that trouble seems to follow the poor man around? Whatever Ministry he has been in, controversy, whether due to his own actions or otherwise, has never been far away.

This issue is of critical importance for the 10,000 plus workers in the company and for the hundreds of thousands of people who rely on the services of An Post. From observing this situation evolve over the past three years, no progress has been made in that time. The Government and the institutions of the State have been unable to resolve the key difficulty between management and unions regarding work practices. Can the Minister of State answer on behalf of the Minister as to what exactly the Minister now intends doing?

It was interesting yesterday to hear the Taoiseach speak at length in the Dáil on the issue and the lengths to which he said the Minister, Deputy Noel Dempsey, has gone in negotiations with the unions to try to broker some type of agreement. Meanwhile the Minister, Deputy Noel Dempsey, last weekend made some remarkable comments about the possible future development of the company. In his closing remarks on that occasion, he said he would not get involved because otherwise there would be a huge amount of trouble in regard to social partnership if he started to circumvent or change Labour Court decisions. It seems the Government is having it both ways. The only matter about which there is a degree of certainty was his further comments whereby it seems the action he intends to take, if a strike proceeds as threatened by the CWU, would result in, as the Minister puts it, a demand from the public because of the lack of a service for a speeding up of the liberalisation of the postal service and that would mark the demise of An Post as we know it. I am sure that threat, if made, was not lightly made. The Minister must have given serious consideration to such a remarkable statement about an important social and economic service provided by the State. Despite liberalisation under EU directives, An Post still has a universal service obligation as our main provider, which will continue after 2009 and which is best provided by a State company managed in a proper fashion. It is clear that is not what we have had in recent years.

We have had a problem at boardroom level in that the board, appointed by the Government, has had no involvement in the strategic development of the company. The management has taken a company that was cash rich and was investing significantly in capital into one that is in utter financial crisis and such capital investment seems to have been wasted. There seems to be an inability between the management and the unions, despite lengthy negotiations at the Labour Court, to agree on work practices that need to be changed. The Government seems to be indicating that the only possible outcome from this stalemate is the demise or early break-up of the company, prior to further liberalisation.

Given such incredible, remarkable, strong and forthright comments from the Minister, we need some clarity on those positions as to what exactly he intends doing. If a strike occurs, is it his intention to effectively liberalise the market far more rapidly and bring in new operators? Has the long negotiation process around work practices come to an end? Has the process involving the Labour Court and the other institutions of bargaining and negotiation come to an end or, if not, what is the alternative way forward?

Currently only 78% of letters are delivered the next day as against the 94% target. The Minister outlined that the company finds itself constrained in terms of paying overtime in some instances where overtime is not worked. There are instances where pensioners and other workers in this company have not been paid — unlike almost every other worker in the State -the proper pay under Sustaining Progress. Such a situation is a sign of a dysfunctional company operated by a dysfunctional Government.

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