Sinn Féin spokesperson on Communications, Ruairí Ó Murchú TD, has expressed concern about the latest price hike from An Post which adds a further ten cent to the price of a stamp from next month.
The Louth TD said he had contacted An Post and the Irish Postmasters’ Union about the increase, which was announced today.
Teachta Ó Murchú said:
“The announcement by An Post is a cause of concern and while I acknowledge increased input costs such as fuel and energy, this price increase will have an impact on many people.
“An Post has said that on one hand they are striving to be a greener business and many post delivery people are using bicycles to deliver letters and small parcels to homes and businesses across the state but on the other hand, the company is citing increased fuel and energy costs as reasons for the price increase.
“This increase, which comes on top of other stamp price increases in the last 12 months, is concerning for those who use An Post to keep in touch, and to respond to communications from state agencies such as Social Protection and the HSE.
“It is also a concern for small businesses who rely on the mail delivery system to get their products or necessary communications into their customers’ hands. While inflation is affecting every single person in the state, adding to it with price increases is not the answer.
“The IPU has said that there are fears that the price increase will lead to people not using the service and lead to a reduction in handling payments for post offices, which could be a self-fulfilling prophecy.
“What we really need to see is a greater level of services being available at post offices.
“In addition, An Post has to continue to look at ways to ensure that post offices, which are increasingly important in local areas because of bank branch closures, and which are a vital cog in the life machine of rural Ireland in particular, are sustained and grown in the coming years.
“These additional services could include the provision of further financial services and services for state agencies.”
