AN Post has been accused by its own post masters of continuing to operate a "closure by stealth" policy in relation to 800 rural post offices.
The general secretary of the Irish Postmasters' Union Ms Vera Hogan, said that by refusing to computerise all 1,800 post offices in the country, An Post was forcing smaller offices to "wither on the vine until they disappear".
Ms Hogan told the IPU annual conference in Killarney that the Government must update its thinking. "You cannot with one hand hold out the promise of more resources going into local communities and with the other, support An Post's campaign to run down or close post offices."
So far, An Post has invested over £36 million in computerising its 600 busiest offices, the Minister for Transport, Energy and Communications told the conference yesterday. A further 400 offices would be automated, at a cost of £5.2 million, in the second phase of the programme, Mr Lowry said.
The disagreement between the union and the Minister arises over the remaining 800 post offices, many of which are located in rural areas and have small turnovers. Ms Hogan welcomed the automation programme as a "major achievement" but added that the refusal by the company to extend the programme to all post offices ran the risk of undermining this "success story".
Mr Lowry made no reference to the company's plans for the remaining offices in his address to the conference.
