After just over 40 years’ service with the island’s Post Office, 16 and a half of those on his rural round in Baldrine, the longest-serving postie based in Douglas is calling it a day.

And Phil Cain admits his retirement has been hastened by the current industrial dispute.

He said: ’The Post Office is not the same as it was 10-15 years ago, maybe even five. I think the next nine months are going to be a bit tough.

’It has moved forward my retirement plans. I hope the dispute is going to be resolved sooner rather than later.’

Phil was in the public gallery when Tynwald voted to approve in principle closing the postal workers’ final salary pension scheme and ending Saturday deliveries.

When Tim Crookall MLC spoke in support of the posties, he stood up, clapped and called out ’well done, Tim!’ - prompting censure from president Steve Rodan.

Phil said he wrote to former Garff MHK Mr Rodan that night to apologise. Mr Rodan wrote back telling him: ’As for your outburst, all is forgiven!’

Baldrine, duty number 51, involves 337 ’calls’ - addresses - with deliveries to each averaging four to five times a week.

It begins at the King Edward Bay apartments and then follows a route along Groudle Road, Baldrine Park, Clay Head Road, Main Road as far as Beach Road, Garwick and then ending on Highfield Drive and Baldrine Road - a distance of 32.3 miles.

As we are sorting out the mail ahead of taking the van out, postie Andy McCutcheon tells me: ’The job is not just delivering mail, it’s so much more than that.’

It’s clear that’s the case as we start our round. Phil seems to know everyone, and everyone knows him.

Quite unprompted, one householder tells me: ’I’m 100% behind them.

’For some residents, they are the only people they see all day.’

Phil displays remarkable skill at reversing his van up steep access lanes and driveways. The van, he says, doesn’t cope well in icy conditions. During his career, he’s been bitten by dogs half a dozen times.

Having started work at 7.15am, we finish our round at 2.25pm, with no time for lunch.

When Phil retires next month, there will be a ’re-pick’ and it will be offered to other posties in order of seniority.

This is the kind of custom that makes the Post Office unique. But it is apparent some ’Spanish practices’ have developed over the years, aided and abetted by management and politicians.

Mr Cain accepts there has to be change. With the ending of Saturday deliveries there will be the end to working five weeks and then having a week off. A series of allowances are going too.

What really rankles the posties, however, is the proposal that new starters could begin on £18,000 rather than £26,000 as now - and civil servants and Tynwald members, whose pension scheme is unfunded, have been awarded a higher pay rise.

For its part, the Post Office says that pay for new starters forms part of the ongoing negotiations with the unions.

It says the figure which will be negotiated will be a fair, competitive level of pay which means the Post Office can continue to retain and attract staff.

Noel Travis, parcel strategy and operations manager, said: ’It’s a great place to work, and still is. We are facing an uncertain future. We’ve had to make changes in the past and change is never universally liked. This is not us and them - it’s us and us.’

So far this financial year, the Post Office has delivered 13,302,290 letters and small packets (6.4% down on previous year) and 459,059 parcels (14.5% up) .

Mr Travis said while the growth in parcel volumes is welcome, it ’no way offsets the decline in traditional core letter traffic as far as revenue is concerned’.