March to the Dáil takes place tomorrow

The protest march to Dáil Éireann in support of the Post Office network takes place tomorrow, Tuesday, gathering at Trinity College at 2pm and marching to the Dáil.

The organisers of the march say your continued backing and anticipated attendance is surely one of the most important public interest actions to ever come before you.

They say the current proposals to decimate the Post Office network are ill thought out, crude and run entirely contrary to the public interest.

"We have highlighted in many forums the current level of mis-information being disseminated regarding the Post Office network and the futility of the “solutions” being proffered by the Minister and An Post.

"PBFI and Independent Postmasters Group made presentations to the Oireachtas Communications Committee on the current Post Office crisis on September 4th last, in which a clear and unequivocal strategy for taking the Post Office network forward was set out, i.e. the remodelling of the network along the lines of New Zealand’s Kiwi Bank.

"The planned decimation of the Post Office network will further erode the social fabric of rural Ireland and will set indigenous Ireland back a generation or more. The Post Office has always been the epi-centre of both rural and urban communities.

"The plan put forward by Minister Naughten and An Post is seriously flawed, however, there is an exciting way forward for the Post Office Network; it can be harnessed in a manner that drives Ireland’s indigenous economy, both urban and rural and re-energises both rural and urban communities.

"Let’s make it happen – Stop Post Office Closures and Enact the 2016 Dáil Motion – Introduce the phenomenally successful Kiwi (Post Bank) model to the Irish Post Office Network."

Meanwhile, Sinn Féin will tomorrow use their Private Members' time to bring forward a motion which aims to prevent the closure of the 159 post offices across the State by advertising new contracts, offering alternative services and allowing the potential for co-location of post offices.