For immediate release 23 October 2007 STUC Condemns Local Post Office Closures
Speaking as the Post Office announced plans to close 44 local Post Office branches across parts of Scotland, Grahame Smith, STUC General Secretary, said:
“The closures announced this morning are unnecessary and unwelcome. It is unacceptable to seek to justify the reduction in an essential service on economic efficiency grounds alone. The result will be a massively reduced Post Office network with the loss of thousands of well-paid jobs and a reduction in the quality of service.
“The Government must listen to the wide coalition of stakeholders who believe that the current plans will not only be detrimental to Post Office workers but also small businesses and communities.
“The STUC’s primary concern is, as always, those workers who find their jobs under threat. But the future of the Post Office network is about more than the jobs of individual trade union members. A comprehensive, efficient and growing Post Office network is vital to maintain the drive against social exclusion, to enhance community cohesion and to support fragile local economies. The Government must reconsider these plans immediately.”
ENDS
For further information, contact:
Stephen Boyd – 07976 978 355 / 0141 337 8100