From Brendan McDonald.
I FIND it sad and shameful that our postmen and women, through no fault of their own, have to take to the streets to seek the public’s support to save their jobs and the postal service that they provide in all weathers.

This is the post office we are talking about, our community service that has been built on the proud reputation of loyalty, honesty and reliability. It will be shameful if our States Members don’t put all their weight behind it and prevent this essential service from going to the wall.

If they can find the money to fund a foreign bus company (Connex) then they are duty bound to help keep our post office from going under. If it means cutting the deliveries to five days, then so be it. At least it would mean saving jobs and money.

I think that the States were wrong to allow the JCRA to issue licences to another operator to set up in opposition to Jersey Post. There is a perfectly good reliable daily service provided by our post office. Not only is Jersey too small for another operator, but also Jersey Post provides us with all the services we need.

We must not lose our postal services or see the postmen and women thrown out of their jobs. It must not happen and I hope there is someone in the States brave enough to fight for them.

The Royal Mail announced recently that it was handling 84 million items every day and that it was winning back customers who found that sending items by other operators was far too expensive.

It proves that there is still plenty of business out there. Maybe the management at Jersey Post should get on the road and fight for new business and keep people working, instead of offloading them because it is the easiest thing to do.

Get the staff involved by asking them for new ideas – after all they are in the front line every day and they can see how to better use the resources at hand.

There is no way the post office should be allowed to go into meltdown – even if it meant turning it into a co-op, with the public as share holders.

It may sound like pie in the sky, but desperate times need desperate measures.