Waterford Postmaster said sharp hike in stamp prices will 'hurt most vulnerable in society'

The president of the Irish Postmaster's Union (IPU) has said the decision from An Post to increase the price of a domestic stamp from 25 cent to €1.65 is "hugely disappointing".

Sean Martin, a postmaster in Tramore, Co Waterford, was speaking on Claire Byrne Live this week about the sharp increase and revealed that neither him or any other postmaster in the county, had been asked their opinion on the matter.

Mr Martin said, "I've no doubt it's business consultants that probably haven't set foot in a post office that have made this decision."

The decision for the €1.40 increase follows increased operating costs, wages increases for postal staff, and an ongoing fall in the amount of letters being posted.

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According to An Post, letter volumes have dropped by 8% in the last year, 40% since 2017, and by half in the last 10 years.

Figures state that 93% of letters being sent are generated by Government or business bodies and just 7% account for personal letters and cards.

"This is going to hurt the most vulnerable in society, and the isolated because they're the people that actually are posting the mail throughout the system, because it's important that they get mail regularly so that they don't feel isolated", Mr Martin added.

Mr Martin also went on to say that the increase will have a domino effect for the whole community and post offices in general as they rely on the revenue the letters and parcels bring in.