Fórsa member Leonard Shiels, who’s campaigning to be elected as an An Post worker-director, wants assurances that the proposed relocation of Dublin’s GPO won’t leave the company too financially stretched to negotiate on pay in future.

Leonard, who describes himself as an ordinary worker, with a grassroots campaign and a focused and bottom-up approach, is also calling on An Post to develop worker and community-focussed plans to secure the future of Ireland’s postal network.

Offering a strong and articulate voice for workers on the An Post board, he says: “Everyone’s familiar with their local postmen and post office, and I’m trying to represent every single ordinary post worker. They need to feel their voice is heard and communicated to the management at the top.”

Fórsa and other unions are currently in discussions about An Post’s proposal to relocate the GPO.

“In the wider economy, big companies like Google are rethinking decisions about expansion or relocation post-Covid. Who knows what the future will bring with this pandemic?

“It’s essential to reconsider the need for a new office, and what will work best for the company, its workers and its customers in the current situation,” he said.

He fears the cost of renting alternative premises could affect the future pay of hard-working postal workers. And he said commuting times for some workers could rise by two or three hours a week if the move goes ahead.

“Additional travel time and commuting costs are major concerns for workers. Staff from all locations are also becoming concerned about the costs of the proposed relocation. If An Post spends €7 million extra a year on premises it could have a significant impact on the company’s ability to give pay rises into the future,” he warned.

Leonard called on the company to engage fully with Fórsa and other unions – and with the An Post board. And he said the company would do better to focus on the future of postal services, including the situation of rural post workers and the communities they serve.

“As post office footfall declines, we need to develop worker-focused plans for the future of Irish post. Many local post offices – large and small, urban and rural – will be forced to close if their financial conditions don’t change in the short-term. We must remain vigilant in these uncertain times, and also be ready to exploit the opportunities created by the surge in parcels demand,” he said.

Leonard’s call came as the Irish Post Network this week called for urgent State support to prevent the collapse of the Irish post network. Its latest report said the financial viability and sustainability of the network was being “challenged like never before in its history."

Leonard pledged that, as a worker-director, he would bring these issues to the boardroom table “I will question the broader impact of every decision made at the top level. The role of worker-director ensures the voice of workers is heard and represented at the board of directors of An Post, and that is exactly what I aim to do,” he said.

Leonard is asking for the support of the trade union network and requesting Fórsa members to urge any An Post staff they know to vote for his worker-led approach.

“I’m very proud to work for An Post and I am offering myself as a new independent voice who'll represent all workers and their issues as if they were my own,” he said.

View and share Leonard’s campaign video to show your support for his election campaign.