Dáil march to save post office network

A march to save the post office network has been planned for Tuesday September 18 at 2pm.

Organised by the Independent Postmasters Group – IPG; Save Rural Ireland group; and The Public Banking Forum of Ireland – PBFI; an open invitation has been extended to all communities and public representatives to meet at Trinity College at 2pm before marching on the Dáil.

It is to remind the government of a motion passed in 2016 to put a stay on post office closures for five years.

That's according to Tom O’Callaghan of the IPG, a postmaster in Limerick City for the last 18 years.

"We're inviting communities and public representatives to attend this march. It's aimed at reminding the government of a motion they passed in November 2016 which was to put a stay on post office closures for five years to enable the setting up of a public banking forum," Mr O'Callaghan tells the Westmeath Examiner.

"This motion was debated for two nights and agreed to by all TDs, they seem to have forgotten all about it. It specifically stated that a 'five-year holding plan' would be put in place while changes were implemented.

"Then we hear this news overnight that 159 post offices are to close. The postmasters and postmistresses are entitled to retire, but they feel they are letting their communities down when in fact it's this government that's letting communities down."

Mr O'Callaghan says there are 390 community post offices in total earmarked for closure and his organisation wants all 390 locations published so as to make those communities aware that they could lose their post office.

"The social welfare payment system is coming up for tender in two and a half years, which is very worrying for postmasters as to how they will earn an income if it goes elsewhere.

"We also wanted to set up a community banking system, like they have in New Zealand. New Zealand has a population of 4.6 million people, we have about 5.2 million. And last year the New Zealand community banking system had a profit of €146m which goes back into the community."

To find out more check out Save Our Post Office Network on Facebook.

* March on the Dáil - Tuesday September 18 Trinity College at 2pm to the Dáil.