An Post to be questioned on Little Island closure

The closure of the Cork Mail Centre in Little Island will undermine future plans to expand Cork, as well as having a negative impact on climate, it was claimed today.

That’s according to Solidarity TD Mick Barry who will go head to head with An Post bosses when they come before the Oireachtas Communications Committee at 3pm today.

Deputy Barry strongly opposed the closure when it was announced in late June along with the loss of 240 jobs. The deputy proposed a motion in the Dáil opposing the closure which was carried but which the Government have since refused to implement.

“This closure doesn’t make sense from the point of view of the plans to expand Cork, it doesn’t make sense from the point of view of the explosion of parcel post, and it doesn’t make sense from a climate point of view with hundreds of trucks carrying millions of letters making unnecessary journeys to Athlone and Portlaoise,” said Deputy Barry said this morning. He added: “I look forward to questioning the An Post bosses on these and other questions.”

An Post said in a statement earlier this year that its decision to close the Cork Mail Centre and reduce its processing capacity was in line with global industry trends. The company stated that the centre, which is located in Little Island, was operating at below 25 per cent capacity as mail volumes continue to drop by approximately seven per cent per annum.

The closure is to be phased between now and March 2020 with employees being offered what An Post have called “strong exit packages” of six weeks per year of service up to a maximum of two years’ pay.

An Post also said that there may also be redeployment opportunities within the company’s networks in the Cork area, as well re-skilling grants and help to secure jobs with new employers.

Garrett Bridgeman, Managing Director of An Post Mails & Parcels, said: “This is very tough for the staff at Cork Mail Centre who have delivered a consistently high level of performance over the years. The closure is simply due to the global trend of mail volume decline which has led to significant over-capacity in the mails system.

“Our priority is to look after our employees who have given great service to An Post by providing alternative employment options, good redundancy terms, further education grants and active access to other employers.”