This article is from page 4 of the 2006-08-08 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 4 JPG
POSTAL workers in Clare have described the company’s delivery vans as “moving death traps”.
They expressed concern for the An Post fleet’s road worthiness and safety, and say the company fleet is in “serious decline”. Delivery staff have claimed that they are regularly expected to drive vans which are unsafe, an assertion which has been vehemently refuted by An Post.
The matter was discussed at the recent AGM of the Communications Workers’ Union in Clare where delegates were told, “The transport system in the company seems to be in serious decline. Many post persons are still using defective or non-roadworthy vehicles. All drivers have been advised not to use these vehicles and to report same to the supervisor of transport department.”
But according to An Post, “there is no safety issue with our vehicles. These claims are completely unfounded and there is no question of anyone being asked to drive a vehicle which is not roadworthy. We have strict guidelines and safety procedures and the health and safety of our workers is our primary concern.”
Workers also claim a large number of vehicles being used are hired from a van rental company without company colours or branding. An Post counters, “With a fleet the size of ours, there will be some vehicles off the road for maintenance or repairs and they have to be replaced. Only a small portion of vehicles are off the road at any time.”
Some postal workers in Clare have been driving white or silver rental vans for several months and claim that the company is not interested in replacing their vehicles.
“Some rented vans in Clare have been replaced in recent months with newer company branded vans but there are still quite a few drivers who have been without a company van for up to 12 months,” staff say. “Another big issue we have is that elderly people in more rural areas are used to seeing the green van coming and are suspicious of the white vans.”
Postal workers believe there is no reason older vans can’t be replaced quicker, claiming that there are dozens of new An Post vans sitting in a compound near Rosslare Port.
“All we want is vehicles which won’t break down or worse. A huge number of new vans are sitting in a yard in Rosslare when they could be on the road,” workers say.