Pat Buckley (Cork East, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the opportunity to speak on this motion and I thank the Deputies for introducing it. Many points have been made so I will cut to the chase. I spoke to many of the affected employees in the past week or ten days. They are absolutely devastated. Some of them have been treated in a disgusting manner. While senior staff met in hotels, these people were doing their jobs. All of a sudden, they have been told it is all over.

When I raised this matter last October I was told there was nothing to worry about. That is no longer the case. Reference was made to the viability of the parcel centre in Little Island. I will not be disingenuous in respect of the other centres around the country. I told staff that I had been informed that the output in the Cork centre is equivalent to the combined output of two centres. For this reason, I do not accept the validity of the argument on viability.

I have also been told that this decision was made on the basis of location. As the Cork mail centre is on the most valuable site, it provides An Post with an opportunity for a quick flip at the expense of the employees, which is disgusting. I have also been told that the possibility of outsourcing the work to casual workers has been mooted if a smaller parcel service is opened on the outskirts of Cork city. That the company is also de-unionising is disgusting as well.

If Deputies cannot have the Accenture report, the employees should be given it so they at least know what is happening. Let them know the truth. This is devastating for Cork and the south. I urge the Minister to revisit this matter and be as fair as possible to everybody involved. All the centres should be kept open and the service invested in properly.

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