Red letter day as An Post rings the changes
THE familiar face of the daily postman arriving like clockwork is set to change over the coming weeks.
Changes in the An Post delivery system mean homeowners could be losing their familiar postman who arrives at the same time every day.
The post office is overhauling the way in which it delivers the post and has redesigned routes for greater efficiency.
It announced the changes yesterday as An Post got a financial boost with an EU ruling on the €52m social welfare payments contract.
A spokeswoman for An Post said the delivery overhaul may result in people getting a different postman and their deliveries arriving at a different time in the day.
Route
"It is a major change so unfortunately there might be some bedding-in issues. People might see that their postman changes and the time of their post might change. It really depends on where you are on a route," she said.
Flyers have been sent out to affected areas, about 10 so far and mostly in Dublin, warning people of the change.
Deliveries in Enniscorthy, Ballincollig, Carrigaline and Dublin postal districts 1, 4, 5, 10, 20 and 17 have been changed, and changes in Dublin 3, 6W and Blackrock will go live next week. The programme will continue throughout the country during 2008.
"There has been massive change in terms of population movement and development in these areas," said the spokeswoman.
Technology
"All mail delivery routes are redesigned using logistical planning technology, which takes into account new residential and business developments, new roadways as well as customers' mail volumes and the composition of that mail. The new routes also allow for easier division of work at times when staffing is limited."
General secretary of the Communications Workers Union (CWU), Steve Fitzpatrick, said postmen were working through the problems that were being encountered with the changes.
"If you redesign a whole process on the basis of computerised and paper exercises, we can't be absolutely sure they are going to work until they are running," Mr Fitzpatrick said.
"There is a familiarity that comes with that. If you deliver on the same route for years, you get around it quicker."
An Post got its financial boost when the EU said the Government was allowed to award it the contract to pay out social welfare benefits. The contract is worth €52m to the postal service this year.
- Shane Hickey
