Square Post office to move to new unit in November

The Post office in The Square will move to a new unit within Dunnes Stores at the shopping centre’s second floor, on Monday, November 4.

Over the first weekend of November, the doors of the ground floor post office will be closed for good, and the service will restart on Monday, 9am, in the new location.

“It’s a super bright and modern purpose fitted office, all set to greet our loyal Tallaght customers,” a spokesperson for An Post told The Echo.

The move is due to the Tallaght An Post branch being acquired by a postmaster earlier this year, which will now run the premises and the services and decided on the relocation.

A long-standing social hub for the community, The Square post office being privatised or relocated sparked different opinions around Tallaght, but An Post ensured the service won’t be affected.

“The change in business model of the offices will not in any way change the range or extent of the services offered by An Post,” a spokesperson told The Echo in February.

“We remain committed to providing our customers with the highest level of services for the future.”

The spokesperson added that if anything, premises and facilities “have been improved.”

A different situation could be faced by the post office staff, who would no longer be directly employed by the public sector if they were to take up posts in the new location, and after decades of service might see their pensions affected.

Alternatively, they’d have the option to be redeployed in other post offices within the Dublin city network, which are still run by An Post.

In February, there were less than 40 branches run publicly in the whole country.

In April, People Before Profit TD Paul Murphy and other campaigners delivered a petition with almost 2,000 signatures to the General Post Office on O’Connell Street, opposing the Tallaght post office being contracted out to a postmaster.

“The people of Tallaght need more and better public services, not privatisation and cutbacks,” said Deputy Murphy.

“Workers in Tallaght post office have contacted me to complain that An Post are not being honest with them about plans to privatise Tallaght Post Office,” he added.

“If they don’t want to work in the new privatised post office, the only other option they are being given is redeployment elsewhere with An Post, regardless of their personal circumstances in relation to access to suitable transport, with no redundancy option being offered.”

Speaking of the services, costumers will be able to access financial services at the new unit in The Square.

Besides An Post’s banking, agency banking services will be available for Bank of Ireland and AIB customers over the post office counter.

“Access to the post office is as easy as it was in the previous location,” added An Post spokesperson. “It will be accessible from the Level 2 car park.”