An MLC has intervened in the Post Office dispute by calling for a review of management roles.

Manx Labour Party chairman David Cretney believes all sides should get round the table to avert industrial action.

He posted his comments on Facebook after members of the Communication Workers’ Union unanimously voted to ballot for industrial action.

The dispute centres on proposed changes to posties’ pay and pensions.

CWU deputy general secretary postal Terry Pullinger has warned of the possibility of a postal strike at Christmas.

Mr Cretney said he believed that loyal post office staff felt ’badly let down’.

He posted: ’There is a new Post office chair, vice chair and board, none of whom have any previous experience of the business.

’What has happened is a proposal to slash the pension and other arrangements for future employees and for existing staff to be put on what can only be described as a semi-permanent pay freeze.’

He said that in the face of financial challenges facing the operation, he believed all sides need to get around the table ’to see what together they could achieve, where savings could be made, what new opportunities could be pursued but that hasn’t happened’.

And he suggested that an independent management consultancy team be commissioned to review the present level of management roles ’to see if they remain appropriate in today’s financial climate’.

Mr Cretney claimed that at present there is a ratio of 12 managers for 205 full time equivalents in the mail area and 19 managers for 87 full time equivalents in other areas of the operation.

He said that for years, successive boards have argued for corporatisation without being able to demonstrate anything that could be achieved that cannot be under the existing arrangements.

Questions are needed, he said, about how over four years and despite saving £495,000 by closing the Crown offices, the loss on counter network has ’exploded’ from about £750,000 to £1.5m.

Mr Cretney also questioned the reasoning behind the alleged financial expenditure of £500,000 on further automation of mail sorting in the face of falling mail levels.

He said the dividend paid to Treasury from reserves took no accounts of the financial difficulties facing the Post Office and was still paid this year despite the operations making a loss for the first time.

Mr Cretney said: ’We need to embrace this important public service and seek out new opportunities.

’We have a very dedicated workforce who need to be at the table with all parties mapping out a better future with new opportunities.

’To achieve this we all need to let government and the Post Office know that the workers are more important than they appear to being treated at the moment.’

Isle of Man Post Office points out there has been a 47% drop in letter mail volumes over the last 10 years, as fewer letters are being sent and fewer people are using post offices than ever before.

But the costs for delivery, including staffing, remain the same and this is ’no longer affordable or acceptable to sustain’.

Post Office chairman Julie Edge MHK said: ’It is disappointing that Mr Pullinger, on behalf of the CWU, has confirmed he will ballot his members. The difficult circumstances associated with the business being loss-making means we must implement financially responsible changes to ensure the future prosperity of the business for all.’